developmental disability

noun

1. a disability, as mental retardation or cerebral palsy, that begins at an early age and continues indefinitely, leading to substantial handicap.

n.

1. A cognitive, emotional, or physical impairment, especially one related to abnormal sensory or motor development, that appears in infancy or childhood and involves a failure or delay in progressing through the normal developmental stages of childhood.

1. A mental or physical disability, such as cerebral palsy or mental retardation, that is present during childhood, interferes with normal physical, intellectual, or emotional development, and usually lasts throughout life.