Definition of Developmental Disability Approved by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in the New Mexico Developmental Disability Waiver Application:
The individual must have a developmental disability and mental retardation or a specific related condition. Related conditions are limited to cerebral palsy, autism (including asperger syndrome), seizure disorder, chromosomal disorders (e.g., Downs), syndrome disorders, inborn errors of metabolism, and developmental disorders of brain formation.
Developmental disability is defined as a severe chronic disability, other than mental illness that:
- Is attributable to a mental or physical impairment, including the result of trauma to the brain or a combination of mental and physical impairment;
- Is manifested before the person reaches the age of twenty-two (22);
- Is expected to continue indefinitely;
- Results in a substantial functional limitation in three or more of the following areas of major life activity: self-care, receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living, and economic self-sufficiency; and
- Reflects the person’s need for a combination and sequence of special or interdisciplinary treatment, generic or other support and services that are of lifelong or extended duration and are individually planned and coordinated.