developmental disability
noun
plural developmental disabilities
: any of various conditions (such as autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, blindness, or fragile X syndrome) that usually become apparent during infancy or childhood and are marked by delayed development or functional limitations especially in learning, language, communication, cognition, behavior, socialization, or mobility
Two to three babies in 1,000 have cerebral palsy (CP), making it one of the most common developmental disabilities.—
Melanie Howard
Melanie HowardAutism is a complex developmental disability that affects how a person communicates and relates to other people.—Braema Mathi
Braema Mathi
developmentally disabled
adjective
developmentally disabled students
Examples of developmental disability in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Parents with kids for whom traditional classrooms don't work well —whether children with developmental disabilities, children on the autism spectrum, or gifted children—often find the Waldorf model beneficial.
—wendy Wisner, Parents, 30 July 2024
This class also pairs well for students who are interested in working with those with developmental disabilities or who are looking to pursue clinical psychology.
—Jenelyn Russo, Orange County Register, 30 July 2024
Fred, who is the father of a son, William, with developmental disabilities, also writes that shedding his low profile is a way to leverage his famous name to advocate for people like William.
—Manuel Roig-Franzia, Washington Post, 24 July 2024
Sometimes, self-injury may be associated with autism or intellectual or developmental disability.
—Amy Morin, Parents, 8 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for developmental disability 
wendy Wisner, Parents, 30 July 2024
This class also pairs well for students who are interested in working with those with developmental disabilities or who are looking to pursue clinical psychology.
—Jenelyn Russo, Orange County Register, 30 July 2024
Fred, who is the father of a son, William, with developmental disabilities, also writes that shedding his low profile is a way to leverage his famous name to advocate for people like William.
—Manuel Roig-Franzia, Washington Post, 24 July 2024
Sometimes, self-injury may be associated with autism or intellectual or developmental disability.
—Amy Morin, Parents, 8 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for developmental disability
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'developmental disability.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near developmental disability
Cite this Entry
“Developmental disability.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/developmental%20disability. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
developmental disability
noun
: any of various conditions (as autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, blindness, or fragile X syndrome) that usually become apparent during infancy or childhood and are marked by delayed development or functional limitations especially in learning, language, communication, cognition, behavior, socialization, or mobility
Two to three babies in 1,000 have cerebral palsy (CP), making it one of the most common developmental disabilities.—Melanie Howard
Melanie HowardAutism is a complex developmental disability that affects how a person communicates and relates to other people.—Braema Mathi
Braema Mathi
developmentally disabled
adjective
developmentally disabled children
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share