A developmental disorder is defined as what?

• A. Evidence of a deficit where there was no prior indication that the skill(s) were ever learned or developed
• B. A deficit that emerges after injury in adulthood
• C. A deficit due to aging
• D. A deficit caused by environmental deprivation

Answer: (A)

Developmental disorders are conditions that appear during the developmental period, with skills or domains failing to emerge as they normally should in childhood. The best description is a deficit in a skill that would normally be learned or developed, but was never learned or developed. This distinguishes them from deficits that arise after adult injury (acquired), from aging-related decline, or from deficits caused by environmental deprivation, which involve different timing or causes rather than an early, intrinsic developmental failure.