ABSTRACT
This chapter considers psychological and educational aspects of developmental disability and the impact of developmental disability on learning and development. The chapter is divided into four sections. The first section introduces the term developmental disability and presents information on prevalence and etiology. The term developmental disability covers a range of more specific conditions, primarily autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, and intellectual disability. Developmental disabilities have a range of causes and occur in 15% of the school-aged population. After this, we consider educational psychology research into the learning and behavioral characteristics associated with developmental disability. Key findings from educational psychology research in relation to a range of functioning domains are highlighted. Specific areas of functioning considered in this section include (a) adaptive and maladaptive behavior, (b) academic achievement, (c) cognitive processing and problem-solving strategies, (d) motivation, and (e) attentional and memory processes. This section also reviews research evidence into a range of psychological concerns that are prevalent among students with developmental disabilities, including anxiety, phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The third section considers implications of two broad theoretical models (i.e., behavioral and social) that have influenced contemporary research and educational services for students with developmental disability. The chapter ends by exploring future directions in research and implications for advancing educational outcomes for students with developmental disability.
