Children, teenagers, and adults who have been diagnosed with autism may be able to function well despite the situation. However, it can still be a debilitating thing to live with for many, regardless of the level of function they have. As such, the Social Security Administration does offer disability benefits to many people who are experiencing this disease. There may also be options for financial assistance for families with autistic loved ones who are unable to pay medical costs.
Social Security Administration
When perusing the Social Security Administration (SSA) website, you can find that there are different requirements for applying as a child or as an adult. This is because adults and children who have autism can exhibit very different symptoms. These can be hard to understand to the average person, but an Orland Park social security disability lawyer can help.
Children
Children with autism must meet two sets of requirements to quality for benefits. The first set of requirements are listed below. It is required for there to be medically documented findings of each one of the items in this set.
- Markedly restricted repertoire of interests and activities.
- Qualitative deficits in development of reciprocal social interaction.
- Qualitative deficits in nonverbal and verbal communication, as well as imaginative activity.
The second set of requirements is a bit different. The rules state that you must demonstrated the severity of problems from the autism. There are two options here:
- Children who are of the age of three or below, having less than one-half of the age appropriate functions in one of the areas below or having lower than two-thirds age appropriate functioning in two or more areas. The areas include:
* Fine or gross motor development
* Social function
* Communicative/cognitive function.
- For those who are over three but 18 or younger require age appropriate impairment in two or more of the following areas:
* Social functioning
* Cognitive/communicative function
* Personal function
* Maintaining persistence, concentration, or pace.
Adults
There is no specific listed in the SSA guide when it comes to adults with autism, which means it can be more complicated. It is important that an adult claimant can prove they are unable to function well enough to gain employment, while also showing a medical diagnosis regarding severity of the autism.
Harold W. Conick & Associates LTD., Attorneys at Law are experienced representing both adults and children in front of the SSA. It can be difficult to prove this, which is why it’s important to have skilled counsel. You can find out more about us and get a free case evaluation by calling the office at 800-608-8881.
