Disability and Child Development: Integrating the Concepts

Developmental disabilities refer to a diverse group of conditions and disorders that begin in the early years of children’s lives, and influence their development, often for life. As professionals working in the field of developmental disability we may forget to recognize that inherent in the term ‘developmental disability’ are two important concepts – ‘development’ and ‘disability’.

The purpose of this Keeping Current is to review how, rather than being integrated, these two streams of thought have traditionally run more or less in parallel. To do this, we first explore several key 20th century concepts of child development. Next, we consider the assumptions underlying a number of developmental intervention approaches. Finally, drawing on modern frameworks of health and function, as well as on Ecological Systems Theory and Dynamic Systems Theory, we offer perspectives on contemporary thinking that provides an opportunity to synthesize these ideas and suggest new ways to conceptualize and implement services that integrate ‘development’ and ‘disability’ more effectively.

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