What Are Developmental Disabilities?
Developmental disabilities comprise various disorders caused by cognitive and physical limitations. These are detected before the age of 22, and they often endure a lifetime. These impairments include intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disease, Down syndrome, language and learning problems, impaired eyesight and hearing loss.
What Are the Most Common Developmental Disabilities?
Intellectual impairment is the most prevalent category of developmental disability. Autism spectrum disorder is the most prevalent developmental impairment, followed by cerebral palsy.
Other developmental disabilities include:
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- Williams Syndrome
- Angelman Syndrome
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Bipolar Disorder
- Tourette Syndrome
- Central Auditory Processing Disorder
- Seizure Disorders
- Down Syndrome
- Prader-Willi Syndrome
- Expressive Language Disorder
- Phenylketonuria
- Fragile X Syndrome
- Neural Tube Defects
- IsoDicentric 15
- Learning Disabilities
- Landau-Kleffner Syndrome
How Prevalent Are Developmental Disabilities?
Developmental impairments affect individuals of all races, ethnicities, educational levels and socioeconomic classes. According to Statistics Canada, in 2017, the Canadian population included 22% with developmental disabilities – over one in every five Canadians. The prevalence increased with age, from 13% aged 15 to 24 up to 47% for those over the age of 75.
How Are Developmental Disabilities Diagnosed?
Contact a reputable organization or healthcare professional if you think a family member may have a physical or mental developmental disability.
First, the organization should have a trained professional give your family members standard intelligence and skills tests. Second, the professional should identify your family member’s strengths and weaknesses within intellectual and adaptive behaviour skills, psychological and emotional factors, physical health and environmental factors. Lastly, a trained group of professionals from different fields should establish what kind of help is needed in each area.
What Services Are Available for Individuals With Developmental Disabilities?
After determining what a person with a developmental disability needs, we suggest services, strategies, and other ways to help them do their best. These services are educational, residential, vocational and day habilitation. People can live more independently in their communities with the help of these services.
Why You Should Choose OCL
OCL uses a Person-Centered Approach (PCA) to help persons with developmental disabilities with self-development, self-determination and community inclusion. OCL’s PCA focuses on the person (not systems), through tailored services and support. All objectives are based on the individual’s culture, religious beliefs, personal aspirations and attitude.
For 37 years, OCL has been devoted to caring for your loved ones and ensuring their safety and well-being. We look forward to future milestones with the people we help, their families and our workers.
Please contact us for more details by calling us in Ottawa at (613) 254-9400 or visiting us online at ocl.ca today.
