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Disability benefits for intellectual disorder in minors

On Behalf of | Jan 22, 2021 | Mental Conditions

When you think of disability benefits, you likely assume that to only refer to financial assistance provided to adults in California whose disabling conditions do not allow them to work. Yet while you may be able to work to support yourself, as the parent of a child struggling with certain conditions, you may also need such assistance to help meet your family’s needs.

Many, however, come to us here at the Disability Rights Law Center thinking that the Social Security Administration does not offer such benefits to children. Yet that is not the case; should your child meet the criteria specified in the SSA’s Listing of Impairments, they may indeed qualify for benefits.

Financial assistance for your child’s intellectual disorder

Among the more common conditions that can plague a child or teen’s development are intellectual or learning disorders. They can not only affect their scholastic progress, but also their ability to effectively manage daily tasks. According to the SSA, for your child to qualify for benefits due to an intellectual disorder, they must demonstrate deficits that leave them unable to participate in standardized testing for intellectual functioning, as well as an inability to perform routines demonstrating self-dependency that one would anticipate for someone their age. Such routines include:

  • Eating
  • Dressing
  • Bathing
  • Toileting

Measurables indicating intellectual deficits

Should your child not meet the aforementioned criteria, they may still qualify for disability benefits due to an intellectual deficit if they earn a full-scale score lower than 70 on a standardized IQ test (or achieve a full-scale score between 71-75 and a performance IQ score of 70 or below). In addition, they must demonstrate a limitation in one (or a mark limitation in two) of the areas of concentration, personal interactions, comprehension or adaptation.

You can learn more about qualifying for disability benefits by continuing to explore our site.

 

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