Developmental Disabilities

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• No links available

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Developmental disabilities are severe, long-term problems. They may be physical, such as blindness. They may affect mental ability, such as learning disabilities. Or the problem can be both physical and mental, such as Down syndrome. The problems are usually life-long, and can affect everyday living.

There are many causes of developmental disabilities, including

• Genetic or chromosome abnormalities. These cause conditions such as Down syndrome and Rett syndrome.
• Prenatal exposure to substances. For example, drinking alcohol when pregnant can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
• Certain infections in pregnancy
• Preterm birth

Often there is no cure, but treatment can help the symptoms. Treatments include physical, speech, and occupational therapy. Special education classes and psychological counseling can also help.

NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Start Here

• Children with an Intellectual Disability (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)
• Developmental Disabilities (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Facts about Developmental Disabilities (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
• What Are Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDDs)? (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Developmental Screening (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF - In English and Spanish
• How Do Health Care Providers Diagnose Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (IDDs)? (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• What Are Treatments for Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (IDDs)? (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Caring for a Person Who Has Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Dental Care Every Day: A Caregiver's Guide (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research)
• If You're Concerned - Act Early (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Occupational Therapy (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Outlook for Children with Intellectual Disabilities (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Overview of Early Intervention (Center for Parent Information and Resources)
• Partnering with Your Child's School: A Guide for Parents (HSC Foundation) - PDF
• Physical Therapy (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Sexuality and Intellectual Disability (American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities)
• Speech-Language Therapy (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
• Taking Your Child to a Therapist (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• What Is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician? (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Angelman Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Developmental Dyspraxia (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Intellectual Disability (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Intellectual Disability (Center for Parent Information and Resources)
• Learning about Cri du Chat Syndrome (National Human Genome Research Institute)
• Williams Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Genetics

• Genetics Home Reference: 15q11-q13 duplication syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 15q13.3 microdeletion (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 15q24 microdeletion (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 16p11.2 deletion syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 16p11.2 duplication (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 16p12.2 microdeletion (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 17q12 deletion syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 17q12 duplication (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 19p13.13 deletion syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 1p36 deletion syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 1q21.1 microdeletion (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 1q21.1 microduplication (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 22q11.2 duplication (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 2q37 deletion syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 3q29 microdeletion syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 3q29 microduplication syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 5q31.3 microdeletion syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 7q11.23 duplication syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: 9q22.3 microdeletion (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: acrocallosal syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: ADNP syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: alpha thalassemia X-linked intellectual disability syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: aminoacylase 1 deficiency (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Angelman syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: aspartylglucosaminuria (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: CASK-related intellectual disability (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: CDKL5 deficiency disorder (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: CHOPS syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Christianson syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Coffin-Lowry syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Coffin-Siris syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Cohen syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Cornelia de Lange syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Costello syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: cri-du-chat syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: distal 18q deletion syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Donnai-Barrow syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: early infantile epileptic encephalopathy 1 (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Emanuel syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: FG syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: FOXG1 syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: fragile XE syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: genitopatellar syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: HIVEP2-related intellectual disability (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: HSD10 disease (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Jacobsen syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Kabuki syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Kaufman oculocerebrofacial syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: KBG syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Kleefstra syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Koolen-de Vries syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Lowe syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Lujan syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Mabry syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: MBD5-associated neurodevelopmental disorder (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: MECP2 duplication syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: microcephaly-capillary malformation syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: monoamine oxidase A deficiency (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Mowat-Wilson syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: mucolipidosis type IV (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Myhre syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: neurodevelopmental disorder with or without anomalies of the brain, eye, or heart (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Ohdo syndrome, Maat-Kievit-Brunner type (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Ohdo syndrome, Say-Barber-Biesecker-Young-Simpson variant (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Pallister-Killian mosaic syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Partington syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Pitt-Hopkins syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Potocki-Lupski syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: PPM-X syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: PPP2R5D-related intellectual disability (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: proximal 18q deletion syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: PURA syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: RAB18 deficiency (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Renpenning syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: ring chromosome 14 syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: SATB2-associated syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Smith-Magenis syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Snyder-Robinson syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: SYNGAP1-related intellectual disability (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: tetrasomy 18p (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: UNC80 deficiency (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: VACTERL association (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: White-Sutton syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Williams syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: X-linked intellectual disability, Siderius type (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Xia-Gibbs syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Yuan-Harel-Lupski syndrome (National Library of Medicine)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Developmental Disabilities (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Intellectual Disability (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Pediatric Screening: Development, Anemia, and Lead.
• Article: People with Intellectual and Developmental Disorders in the United Kingdom Criminal...
• Article: Hippotherapy in Rehabilitation Care for Children With Neurological Impairments and Developmental...
• Developmental Disabilities -- see more articles
• Mental retardation -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Also in Spanish

Children

• What is an Intellectual Disability? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Angelman syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Developmental coordination disorder (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Developmental Screening (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF - In English and Spanish
• Intellectual disability (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish