MYTH: Developmental disabilities are extremely rare.
FACT: Some specific conditions might be rare, but as a whole, developmental disabilities are much more commonly occuring than one might think.

Estimates vary quite a bit because of the difficult nature of surveying such data and the differences in definition. In India, due to social stigma a very large number of cases are not reported officially. According to the United Nations, around 10 per cent of the world's population, or 650 million people, live with a disability, making them the world's largest minority. A World Bank report from 2007 found that India has some 40-80 million disabled people, which means at least one in twelve households in the country has a member with a disability. Although these reports are referring to ANY kind of disability, a considerably large portion of these will fall under the category of "developmental" disabilities with onset before adulthood.

MYTH: All developmentally challenged people are completely dependent on others' help for their daily activities.
FACT: The type and extent of support required by a developmentally challenged person varies a lot depending on what and how severe their disabilities are.

Some require ongoing emotional support, education and/or various forms of therapy. Others may require extensive physical support. In every case however, they always have the potential for therapy and can lead high quality lives despite their limitations.

MYTH: All developmental disabilities are hereditary and run in families.
FACT: Only SOME developmental disabilities are caused due to hereditary factors.

The causes of developmental disabilities can be categorized as follows:

0. Genetic or hereditary conditions (e.g. Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome)
0. Pregnancy-related complications (e.g. mother's use of alcohol or drugs, exposure to radiation or chemical/biological toxins, infections, severe malnutrition, disease or injury)
0. Medical complications at birth (e.g. premature birth, oxygen deprivation or other injury during birthing process)
0. Medical complications during childhood (e.g. severe malnutrition, disease, physical injuries, exposure to toxins, etc.)
0. Cultural/social problems during childhood - sometimes disabilties are not related to any genetic or physical cause, but to understimulation of the child and lack of adult responsiveness
0. Unknown causes - there are many cases where the exact cause is unknown

MYTH: Developmentally challenged people have wild and aggressive behaviour that can be dangerous to others.
FACT: Developmentally challenged people are no more violent than anyone else.

There is no direct relationship between developmental disabilities and aggressive behaviour. People with disabilities are in fact more likely to be the VICTIMS of violence.

MYTH: There is no hope for the developmentally challenged; they suffer life long and we should feel sorry for them.
FACT: The developmentally challenged are capable of leading happy lives - they are NOT suffering and do not need pity.

Having a disability does not mean that one is cursed or doomed to "suffer". No one is perfect. The inclusion of those with disabilities into mainstream society should not be done out of charity, but to respect them as any other fellow human being and provide them their rights as equal citizens.

MYTH: Developmentally challenged adults have the same needs as developmentally challenged children since they basically are child-like minds trapped in adult bodies.
FACT: Developmentally challenged adults experience the same type of physical, social and sexual maturation as everyone else and their needs change as they grow older.

Those with developmental disabilities have the same needs and rights with respect to medical care, adequate housing, employment and retirement, leisure and social activities as any other member of the older population. They face the same risk for age-related illness and impairments as other aging members of society.

It is wrong to treat them like children because they are not. IQ levels are NOT the only indicator of adulthood. Most of them are able to contribute economically and in a civic sense to their communities, if given the opportunity.

MYTH: Developmentally challenged adults make second-rate employees who are unreliable and inefficient.
FACT: Studies show that developmentally challenged adults report attendance, punctuality and productivity on par with other employees.

Developmental disabilities limit the type of employment and tasks that can be accomplished, not the individual's motivation to do them well.

MYTH: It does not matter whether you call someone mentally retarded/handicapped, or if you call them "special" or "challenged". These are all just words and they refer to the same thing.
FACT: Language plays a powerful role in establishing long-term societal attitudes and stereotypes. Words DO make a difference.

Throughout history, people with disabilities have faced an immense amount of discrimination and neglect from the rest of society. Across the world, both formal and informal language to describe developmental challenges has generally been negative, implying that these people are somehow inferior or burdensome, or that they are like sick patients. By labelling them with words like "mental", "spastic", "retarded", "disabled" or "handicapped", we are forming a very narrow impression of who they are, focusing only on their problems and not their potential. This is why there has been an attempt to CHANGE the language surrounding these people, such that we encourage more inclusion and awareness instead of judgement. The use of the word "special" is part of this movement. When we call someone with developmental disabilities "special", we are celebrating that person's uniqueness instead of judging it. We are affirming that a disabled person has a complete identity that makes him/her just as interesting as any other person - or perhaps even more interesting! If you have interacted with people with developmental challenges, you probably have observed that they are indeed special, for example in the way they form relationships or in their creative expression.