Children with disabilities.

The first day of school is right around the corner! For many children, it’s an exciting time. They look forward to seeing all their friends, finding out who their teacher will be, and hopefully the year of learning ahead of them. But for children with disabilities and their families, the start of school can also cause apprehension.

 

For children who struggle with mental or behavioral disorders such as ADD/ADHD, autism, learning disorders, oppositional defiance disorder, or anxiety, returning to the school environment can be stressful. The private and public school systems offer many wonderful resources to their students with disabilities. However, those resources can be limited.

 

Children who struggle with these types of medical conditions may be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a federal disability benefit that is available if the household meets the financial requirements. SSI benefits are intended for lower-income families whose household assets and resources are below Social Security’s asset and resource threshold of $2,000 for single individuals and $3,000 for married couples.

 

To medically qualify for SSI, the child must have a medical condition or condition that prevents them from functioning on the same level as their peers. Certain medical conditions have a presumption of disability. If there is no presumption, a child’s medical disability is evaluated based on the severity of the impairment on the child’s ability to learn, focus, care for themselves, or interact socially.

 

If awarded SSI benefits, the child would be entitled to not only health insurance benefits but also a monthly disability check, which can help pay for therapies and other services that are not covered by insurance. The 2021 maximum SSI benefit for an individual is $794. That amount can be reduced based on the family’s financial resources.

 

Teachers are such an important resource for these children because it is through their support and documentation of their students’ limitations that they can truly help them. The Social Security Administration typically requests that questionnaires be completed by the child’s teachers to better understand his or her educational and social limitations. Although sometimes teachers may feel they are being critical by identifying their student’s struggles, it is crucial to the child that their impairments be candidly and thoroughly explained.

 

What parents or guardians of a disabled child can do to advocate for their child is to make sure that the school is referring the child for testing and, if needed, counseling. The child’s pediatrician should be coordinating with the proper medical specialists and therapists. If applicable, making sure the child has an Individual Education Plan (IEP) with their school is also extremely important so that the child can receive the accommodations they need to be academically successful.

 

Ideally, with the right support and resources in place, the child will be successful and not need disability benefits or meet the criteria; however, for those children and families who truly need it, it is an invaluable resource that can provide either lifelong or temporary support.

 

We are always here to answer questions and provide guidance. We wish all of our friends of the firm and in particular the teachers and students, a safe and wonderful school year.