The first few years of life are critical in your child’s development, especially of the brain and nervous system. Developmental delays that can affect your child for the rest of his or her life frequently have their start between birth to three years of age.

Providing your child with a safe environment is critical and can reduce the risk of your child developing developmental disabilities. Exposure to lead, mercury or other chemicals that are toxic to your infant & newborn must be avoided. For example, if your home was build prior to 1978, you should have it tested for lead and asbestos.

Developmental Disabilities

•     In 2001-2004, about 7 children out of every 1,000 children were reported to be diagnosed with mental retardation. [1]

•     Between 3-8% of the babies born each year will be affected by developmental disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or mental retardation.[2]

•     In 2003-2004, an estimated 300,000 U.S. children aged 4-17 years were reported to have autism.[3]

Disparities in Developmental Disabilities

•     Mental retardation is more common for children from lower income families and for certain racial and ethnic groups.[4]

Economic Impact of Developmental Disabilities

•     During the 2001/2002 school year, an estimated 6.5 million children were enrolled in special education programs. This is almost 75% increase from 1976/1977.[5]

•     The economic costs associated with autism are approximately $35 billion dollars per year.[6]

•     Expenditures can range from 1.6 times (for students with specific learning disabilities) to 3.1 times (for students with multiple disabilities) higher than expenditures for a regular education student.[7]

[1]    CDC, NCHS, NHIS. Children reported to have mental retardation, by race/ethnicity and family income, 2001-2004. See www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.

[2]    B. Weiss and P. J. Landrigan. 2000. The developing brain and the environment: an introduction. Environmental Health Perspectives 108 Suppl. 3:373-4.

[3]    CDC, (2006) http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5517a3.htm.

[4]    EPA, America’s Children in the Environment. Developmental Disorders.

[5]    U.S. General Accounting Office (2003). Numbers of Formal Disputes Are Generally Low and States Are Using Mediation and Other Strategies to Resolve Conflicts.

[6]    Ganz, ML (2007). The Lifetime Distribution of the Incremental Societal Costs of Autism. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 161:343-349.

[7]    Chambers, JG, Shkolink, J, Perez, M.  Total expenditures for students with disabilities, 1999-2000: spending variation by disability.  Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research, 2003.  See http://wwww.csefair.org/publications/seep/national/Final_SEEP_Report_5.pdf.