Are We Doing Everything We Can Do to Collect the Data of Birth for Research to Find Causes of Developmental Disabilities?

  We must ask ourselves, are we doing everything we can do to collect the data of birth for research, are we doing the research to find the cause? Where is the data of birth injury? Where is the data to determine the cause? We agree with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)...

How Has the Prevention of Developmental Disabilities at Birth Been Ignored in Data Collection Efforts for the Last 30 Years?

If we could redo history, had not redefined Developmental Disabilities in legislation through mental health acts or if we had not removed the 1989 State Birth and Developmental Outcome Monitoring Programs in 1999, would we have collected more data and research in the last 30 years to understand the rising incidence of Developmental Disabilities.  Would...

How Has the Prevention of Developmental Disabilities at birth been Ignored by the Medical Community for the Last 30 Years?

If we could redo history, if we focused on collecting very specific data at birth, labor practices, induced labor or cesarean delivery, medicine given before, during and after birth, would we have collected more data and research to understand the rising incidence of Developmental Disabilities such as Autism and Cerebral Palsy in children that we...

How Has the Prevention of Developmental Disabilities at Birth Been Ignored in Policy and Research for the Last 30 Years?

If we could redo history, if the National Council on Disability had remained an agency to coordinate the prevention of disability from both birth defects and birth injury and if it had kept some aspect of policy and research focus on prevention, would we be at a better place, have collected more data and research...

How Has the Prevention of Developmental Disabilities at birth been Ignored in Legislation for the Last 30 Years?

If we could redo history, had not redefined Developmental Disabilities in legislation through mental health acts or if we had not removed the 1989 State Birth and Developmental Outcome Monitoring Programs in 1999, would we be at a better place, have collected more data and research to understand the rising incidence of  Developmental Disabilities such...

Developmental Disabilities are a great cost to our children, families and society; they are a critical public health issue that deeply impacts the lives of millions of Americans. (1)

Each year approximately 120,000 children are diagnosed with a lifelong Developmental Disability. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has estimated the lifetime cost of care for each individual citizen with Intellectual Disability and Cerebral Palsy is nearly $1 million (in 2003 dollars), approximately one half that figure for those with Vision or Hearing Impairments. (Caregiver,...

Do you feel you are never allowed to complain or describe the ways disability is adversely affecting your life?

We, at New Horizons Un-Limited, value the individual and focus on strengths and weaknesses that make the whole person. As parents, family members, caregivers and individuals we try to focus on positive energy and independence. Although, once in a while, wouldn’t you like to complain when disability in your life is not going well for...