Neurodevelopmental disorders often are characterized by intellectual disability, formerly known as mental retardation, and may have associated physical and mental-health disorders. For example, people with Down syndrome  may have cardiac anomalies.  Many of these lifelong conditions are evident at birth. They have no cure, though interventions increasingly are being developed to address many of their core symptoms. In some parts of the world, having such a condition often means a lifetime of marginalization and alienation from society and exclusion – even from one’s own family.