Monitoring Developmental Disabilities

CDC monitoring provides reliable, population-based estimates of the number of school-aged children with developmental disabilities. Without this knowledge, advocacy groups, parents, providers, educators, policy makers, and researchers would not have the necessary tools to effect change.

 

 

Why is it so important to monitor developmental disabilities?

Developmental disabilities affect approximately 13% of children younger than 18 years of age in the United States and have resulted in substantial financial and social costs for affected families and educational and health care systems.

The estimated lifetime cost for those born in 2000 with a developmental disability are expected to total (based on 2003 dollars):

• $51.2 billion for people with mental retardation,
• $11.5 billion for people with cerebral palsy,
• $2.1 billion for people with hearing loss, and
• $2.5 billion for people with vision impairment.

These costs are likely an underestimate of the true cost of developmental disabilities because these numbers are based only on the prevalence estimates for the developmental disabilities ascertained by MADDSP (one of CDC monitoring programs).

Further, children living with developmental disabilities will need not only financial assistance, but also special educational and medical services throughout their lives in order to achieve their optimal development. MADDSP also identifies a case population of school-aged children with developmental disabilities that serves as an essential component for epidemiologic studies (CADDRE) examining risk factors for developmental disabilities in the metropolitan Atlanta area.

 

CDC's Monitoring Activities

Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program (MADDSP)

Autism Developmental Disabilities Monitoring(ADDM)