How are intellectual disability and developmental disability different?
Intellectual disability forms a subset within the larger universe of developmental disability, but the boundaries often blur as many individuals fall into both categories to differing degrees and for different reasons. Developmental disabilities are defined as severe chronic disabilities that can be cognitive or physical or both. The disabilities appear before the age of 22 and are likely to be lifelong. Intellectual disabilities encompass the “cognitive” part of this definition, that is, those disabilities that are broadly related to thought processes. Because intellectual and other developmental disabilities often co-occur, intellectual disability professionals often work with people who have both types of disabilities. Some developmental disabilities are purely physical, such as congenital deafness or visual impairment resulting from the individual’s mother contracting rubella while pregnant. These are not intellectual disabilities. Other developmental disabilities can be caused by
