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
Autism is a complex developmental disability that affects how a person communicates and relates to other people.Braema Mathi
developmentally disabled adjective
developmentally disabled students

Examples of developmental disability in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The event raises money for the nonprofit’s programs to provide care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2024 Of the 140 medical schools responding to this topic, 125 medical schools reported developmental disability in the pre-clerkship phase, and 117 medical schools reported developmental disability in the clerkship phase. Torie Bosch, STAT, 16 Dec. 2023 Park City Mountain is the winter home of the National Ability Center (NAC), which provides adaptive programs for competitive athletes, senior citizens, and children with physical, cognitive, and developmental disabilities. Caroline Tell, Travel + Leisure, 8 Jan. 2024 The two main beneficiaries of the clinic were the WOW Center Miami and Grind Fitness Miami, which work to empower those with developmental disabilities. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2024 Eventually, she was appointed as the president of The Arc New York, a nonprofit that advocates for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 4 Nov. 2023 About three months later, he was called a slur for an individual with developmental disabilities by another employee, the lawsuit said. Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2024 Noah Homes is a nonprofit that provides housing and care to people with developmental disabilities. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Dec. 2023 For this year’s prints, The Times partnered with Creativity Explored, a nonprofit in San Francisco that supports a neurodiverse community of artists with developmental disabilities. Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023

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.

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of developmental disability was in 1944

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 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

developmental disability

noun
: any of various conditions (as autism, cerebral palsy, or intellectual disability) that are marked by delayed or impaired development (as in learning, language, or mobility)
developmentally disabled adjective

Medical 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
Autism is a complex developmental disability that affects how a person communicates and relates to other people.Braema Mathi
developmentally disabled adjective
developmentally disabled children
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!