ABOUT OPTIONS

People with developmental disabilities share some common characteristics. They have difficulty in the acquisition of cognitive, language, motor, or social skills. This may involve a general delay, as in developmental disability or the delay may be in a specific area of skill acquisition. The term “developmental disability” refers to any mental and/or physical disability that starts before the age of 18. The term includes individuals with cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy as well as intellectual disabilities.

According to the DSM-5, intellectual disability involves impairments of general mental abilities that impact adaptive functioning in three domains, or areas. These domains determine how well an individual copes with everyday tasks:

• The conceptual domain includes skills in language, reading, writing, math, reasoning, knowledge, and memory.
• The social domain refers to empathy, social judgment, interpersonal communication skills, the ability to make and retain friendships, and similar capacities.
• The practical domain centers on self-management in areas such as personal care, job responsibilities, money management, recreation, and organizing school and work tasks.

While intellectual disability does not have a specific age requirement, an individual’s symptoms must begin during the developmental period and are diagnosed based on the severity of deficits in adaptive functioning. The disorder is considered chronic and often co-occurs with other mental conditions.

OPTIONS primarily focuses on services for adults and children transitioning out of special education.

Eligibility requirements and funding sources vary. Call us today to discuss your needs 985-345-6269.