What is a developmental disability?
A developmental
disability is a disability which:
Developmental
disabilities include;
The Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric
Association, fourth edition, 5/94) defines mental retardation in
the following way:
"This disorder is characterized by significantly subaverage intellectual functioning (an IQ of approximately 70 or below) with onset before age 18 years and concurrent deficits or impairments in adaptive functioning. Separate codes are provided for Mild, Moderate, Severe, and Profound Mental Retardation and for Mental Retardation, Severity Unspecified."
A disability
resulting from damage to the brain before or during birth. Some
indicators are:
Cerebral palsy is diagnosed by a physician.
It is a disorder
of the central nervous system characterized by an abnormal
chemical- electrical discharge in the brain. The discharge is
seen physically as a seizure. The type of seizure disorder
varies. There may be partial or complete loss of consciousness.
Most seizures are controlled through medication. Epilepsy is
diagnosed by a physician, usually a neurologist.
It is a
developmental disorder which is characterized by significant
impairments in the areas of reciprocal (give-and-take) social
relations, communication, and range of interests. Autistic
children typically show lessened interest in others, poor speech
development, and lessened flexibility in daily life situations.
What is "substantially handicapped?"
A major
impairment of cognitive and/or social functioning in such areas
as:
