Different Definitions of Developmental Disability and Implications for Outcomes

What are the implications of varying approaches to defining developmental disabilities (DDs) on population prevalence, service utilization, and other related outcomes?In this cross-sectional study of 2535 children and young adults aged 5 to 21 years and 9701 adults aged 22 years or older from the 2023 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), childhood and young adulthood DD prevalence ranged between 4.17% and 15.93% and adult DD prevalence varied between 1.24% and 8.10%. A narrow definition was most likely to identify those with higher acuity impairments eligible for publicly funded services and at risk of congregate setting placement and unemployment.The findings suggest that a narrower diagnostic definition of DD better identifies individuals who are likely to be impacted by policy changes to publicly funded services.

Corresponding Author: Ari Ne’eman, PhD, Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115 (aneeman@hsph.harvard.edu).

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