A developmental disability is a disability which is attributable to mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy or autism; or to any other condition, other than mental illness, which results in an impairment similar to that caused by mental retardation and which requires similar services. Developmental disabilities all occur in childhood or before the person reaches age 22 and are likely to continue indefinitely. Approximately one percent of the population is affected by a developmental disability. Generally, developmental disabilities are brain-based and cause individuals to have difficulty developing cognitively. Developmental delays may range from mild to profound. An individual’s functioning or ability to adapt to the environment is an important part of defining a developmental disability. A developmental disability affects a person’s functioning in three or more of the following major life skill areas, along with the expectation that the person will require support services that may last a lifetime:

1. Self-care
2. Understanding and use of language
3. Learning
4. Mobility
5. Self-Direction
6. Capacity for independent living

With appropriate support services, such as those offered by the Logan-Mason Rehabilitation Center, persons who have a developmental disability can lead productive and fulfilling lives with as much independence as possible.