History of Developmental Disabilities

The first recorded reference to a mental disability is from 1552 BC. Those with disabilities experienced harsh treatment, judgment, and lack of adequate services to support their differences.

However, in the early 1970s, disability activists began to challenge how society treated disabled people and the medical approach to disability.

And these efforts have triggered enormous efforts in the 21st century that include support and inclusion of those with developmental disabilities into the larger mainstream neurotypical population. Such efforts in Bahrain continue to be challenged, but are on the rise.