Developmental Disabilities (Print Version)

Developmental disabilities are birth defects that cause lifelong problems with how a body part or system works. They include

Nervous system disabilities affecting how the brain, spinal cord and nervous system function. They cause mental retardation, including Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome. They also cause learning and behavioral disorders, such as autism
Sensory-related disabilities, which can cause vision, hearing and sight problems
Metabolic disorders such as phenylketonuria, which affect how your body processes the materials it needs to function
Degenerative disorders such as Rett syndrome, which might only become apparent when children are older and can cause physical and mental problems

Most developmental disabilities have no cure, but you can often treat the symptoms. Physical, speech and occupational therapy might help. Special education classes and psychological counseling can also help.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Start Here

Developmental Disabilities(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/developmental_disabilities.cfm

Overviews

Developmental Disabilities(American Psychiatric Association) - http://healthyminds.org/developmentaldisabilities.cfm
Developmental Disabilities - An Overview(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZPUU2KGDC&sub_cat=105

Latest News

Chromosome Tests Help Study of Kids' Mental Anomalies(09/10/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69138.html

Prevention/Screening

Child Development: Developmental Screening(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/child/devtool.htm
Newborn Screening Tests(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/298_834.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/centro/9256_9689.asp

Coping

Mental Retardation: Learning How to Help Your Child(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/special/birth/549.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/children/parents/special/birth/549.printerview.html
Mental Retardation: What Caregivers Need to Know(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/articles/898.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/articles/898.printerview.html

Specific Conditions

Angelman Syndrome(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/angelman/angelman.htm
Developmental Dyspraxia(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/dyspraxia/dyspraxia.htm
Intellectual Disability(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dd/ddmr.htm
Intellectual Disability (formerly Mental Retardation)(National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities) - http://www.nichcy.org/Disabilities/Specific/Pages/IntellectualDisability.aspx
Multisystem Developmental Disorder(Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Online) - http://www.dbpeds.org/articles/detail.cfm?TextID=96
Williams Syndrome(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/williams/williams.htm

Related Issues

Dental Care Every Day: A Caregiver's Guide(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) - http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/OralHealth/Topics/DevelopmentalDisabilities/DentalCareEveryDay.htm
Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/iep.html
Partnering with Your Child's School: A Guide for Parents(HSC Foundation) - Links to PDF - http://www.hscfoundation.org/aboutus/publications/partnering_with_schools_english_guide.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.hscfoundation.org/aboutus/publications/partnering_with_schools_spanish_guide.pdf
Sexuality and Intellectual Disability(American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) - http://www.aamr.org/Policies/sexuality.shtml

Videos

Baby Steps: Learn the Signs. Act Early(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/CDCTV/BabySteps/

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Developmental Disabilities(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Developmental+Disabilities%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Mental Retardation(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Mental+Retardation%22

Genetics

Genetics Home Reference: Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=allanherndondudleysyndrome
Genetics Home Reference: Angelman syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=angelmansyndrome
Genetics Home Reference: Coffin-Lowry syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=coffinlowrysyndrome
Genetics Home Reference: Cornelia de Lange syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=corneliadelangesyndrome
Genetics Home Reference: Costello syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=costellosyndrome
Genetics Home Reference: Cri-du-chat syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=criduchatsyndrome
Genetics Home Reference: Emanuel syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=emanuelsyndrome
Genetics Home Reference: Mowat-Wilson syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=mowatwilsonsyndrome
Genetics Home Reference: Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=rubinsteintaybisyndrome
Genetics Home Reference: Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=smithlemliopitzsyndrome
Genetics Home Reference: Smith-Magenis syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=smithmagenissyndrome
Genetics Home Reference: Williams syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=williamssyndrome

Research

Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/womenshealth/research/pregbirth/birthdefects.cfm
Mental Retardation(National Institutes of Health) - Links to PDF - http://www.nih.gov/about/researchresultsforthepublic/MentalRetardation.pdf

Journal Articles

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

Article: The thorny nature of predictive validity studies on screening tests... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18829812&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Factors influencing outcomes in the offspring of mothers with phenylketonuria... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18779286&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Morphometric spatial patterns differentiating boys with fragile X syndrome, typically... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18762595&tool=MedlinePlus
Developmental Disabilities -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=developmental+disabilities[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+systematic[sb])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
Mental retardation -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=mental+retardation[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+systematic[sb])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Dictionaries/Glossaries

Kids' Quest on Disability and Health: Glossary(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/kids/kglopage.htm

Directories

State Councils on Developmental Disabilities(Administration on Developmental Disabilities) - http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/add/states/ddcs.html
State Resources (Disability-Related)(National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities) - http://www.nichcy.org/states.htm

Organizations

Administration on Developmental Disabilities - http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/add/
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/defaultspan.htm
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities - http://www.nichcy.org/
Also available in Spanish http://old.nichcy.org/spanish.htm
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/

Law and Policy

Americans with Disabilities Act - ADA Home Page(Dept. of Justice) - http://ada.gov/
Disabilities That Qualify Infants, Toddlers, Children, and Youth for Services under the IDEA(National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities) - http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/genresc/gr3.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/spanish/gr3stxt.htm
Guide to the Individualized Education Program(Dept. of Education) - http://www.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html
Services in School for Children with Special Needs: What Parents Need to Know(American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) - http://www.aacap.org/page.ww?name=Services+In+School+For+Children+With+Special+Needs%3A+What+Parents+Need+To+Know§ion=Facts+for+Families

Statistics

Disability Characteristics(Bureau of the Census) - http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/STTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-qr_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_S1801&-ds_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false

Children

Coping with Disaster: Suggestions for Helping Children with Cognitive Disabilities(Administration for Children and Families) - http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/add/Sept11/addcoping.html
Kids' Quest on Disability and Health(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/kids/
Mental Retardation(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/birth_defect/mental_retardation.html

Seniors

Mental Retardation(AGS Foundation for Health in Aging) - http://www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow/chapters_ch_trial.asp?ch=37
Older Adults and Their Aging Caregivers(American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) - http://www.aaidd.org/Policies/faq_aging.shtml

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Autism - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/autism.html
Disabilities - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/disabilities.html
Down Syndrome - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/downsyndrome.html
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/fetalalcoholsyndrome.html
Learning Disorders - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/learningdisorders.html
Children and Teenagers - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childrenandteenagers.html
Mental Health and Behavior - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mentalhealthandbehavior.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Developmental Disabilities is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/