Developmental Disabilities

Nationwide

According to the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (DD Act), a “developmental disability” is a severe, chronic disability that is caused by a mental or physical impairment (or both), that occurs before the age of 22 years, is likely to continue indefinitely and results in “substantial” functional limitations in 3 or more of the following areas of major life activity:

1. Self-care
2. Receptive and expressive language
3. Learning
4. Mobility
5. Self-direction
6. Capacity for independent living
7. Economic self-sufficiency

“Substantial” means individuals with DD who receive services must need a combination of special services and individualized supports that will last all their lives or for a long time.

California

There are over 600,000 people in California who meet the federal definition of DD.  California has a system of 21 regional centers authorized by the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, California legislation that provides entitlement services to people who meet the state definition of DD, which is the same as the definition in the DD Act, except the condition has to occur before the age of 18 and must be caused by:

• Intellectual disabilities
• Cerebral palsy
• Autism spectrum disorders
• Epilepsy, or
• Any condition that requires services similar to what a person with intellectual disabilities would need.

Regional Centers serve slightly over 200,000 people who meet the state definition of DD.

Current Projects

RRTC on Employment Among People with IDD (PI: Benjamin Schwartman)

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial: Utilizing a Digital Inhaler to Support Asthma
Management in Adolescents with IDD (PI: Larry Tin; Co-Investigators: Alexis Deavenport-Saman, Jeanne Delgado, Christine Mirzaian, Caitlin Sayegh, My Vu, Sophia Park, Navdelli Mendoza, Emma Tien)

Publications

Fisher, M. J., Graff, J. C., Hill, C., LaMothe, J., Nelson, S. R., Kent, K. A., & Betz, C. L.
(2025). Innovating Nursing Education Through Partnership with Individuals with IDD.
The Journal of nursing education, 64(2), 75–80. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-
20240923-03

Sarvas, E., Webb, J., Landrigan-Ossar, M., Yin, L., Section on Oral Health, Council On
Children with IDD, & Section on Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine (2024). Oral Health Care for Children and Youth with IDD: Clinical Report. Pediatrics, 154(2), e2024067603. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2024-067603

Han, J., Koser, K., Mamey, M. R., Vanderbilt, D. L., Schonfeld, D. J., Yin, L., & Deavenport-Saman, A. (2024). Mediation of Parental Aggravation in the Association Between ADHD Severity and Electronic Media Use: A National Survey of Children's Health Study. Journal of attention disorders, 28(2), 127–138. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547231205028

Januszyk, D., Schafer, E., Thompson, H. J., & Sargent, B. (2023). Effect of Exercise and Motor Interventions on Physical Activity and Motor Outcomes of Adults with Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review. Developmental neurorehabilitation, 26(6-7), 389–412. https://doi.org/10.1080/17518423.2023.2259978

Kallman, J., Mamey, M. R., Vanderbilt, D. L., Imagawa, K. K., Schonfeld, D. J., & Deavenport-Saman, A. (2023). Hyperactivity and Impulsivity Symptoms Mediate the Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Reading Achievement: A LONGSCAN Cohort Study. Child psychiatry and human development, 10.1007/s10578-023-01655-1. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-023-01655-1

Mittal, S., Bax, A., Blum, N. J., Shults, J., Barbaresi, W., Cacia, J., Deavenport-Saman, A., Friedman, S., LaRosa, A., Loe, I. M., Tulio, S., Vanderbilt, D., Harstad, E., DBPNet Steering Committee, & DBPNet Steering Committee (2023). Receipt of Behavioral Therapy in Preschool-Age Children with ADHD and Coexisting Conditions: A DBPNet Study. Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP, 44(9), e651–e656. https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0000000000001216

Sukal-Moulton, T., Barbosa, V. M., Sargent, B., Boswell, L., de Regnier, R. A., Bos, A. F., & Peyton, C. (2024). Baby Observational Selective Control AppRaisal (BabyOSCAR): Convergent and discriminant validity and reliability in infants with and without spastic cerebral palsy. Developmental medicine and child neurology, 10.1111/dmcn.15924. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.15924

Carolyn Graff J, Fisher M, Hill L, Reaves RP, Nelson SR, Betz C Closing the nursing leadership gap: Leveraging partnerships with people with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities. Nursing outlook. 2022;70(6):783-785. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2022.07.009