Autistic Son

There are plenty of free programs out there for special ed kids. SSI was not created to socialize your child. Sorry if I sound harsh.

Ssi is there to help people of lower incomes provide the best care for their disabled child. If you fall within the income guidelines AND he has a diagnosis that warrants disability from social security then they can approve you. It is a pretty long process. They can take your application over the phone and you will have to send in all the info they request. You can do a quick online questionnaire to see if you possibly qualify at SSA.gov. good luck!

You want to collect $ from Social Security so you son can participate in activities for autistic kids?
I don't think that's what Social Security is for.
There are free activities you can look for (Google is your friend).
Get creative but looking for a handout isn't going to solve your son's social issues.

Sorry but kids with disabilities have just as much right to funds as people who have a heart attack or some other sort of disability.

Your tax dollar is not used to pay this child's way, it's used to fund wars and politicians and companies that build weapons.

Less than one half of a penny is used for welfare and money for disabled people. If you don't like paying taxes then look at the government not a mom who has a child with needs she can't financially meet.

To receive disability your child will have to have a diagnosis that effects more than 2 of the life skills areas. This is a lifelong disability, not something for just his childhood. IF he's this disabled he qualifies to receive monthly support.

I'd contact the social security office to get an application. His doc will be a great help in this process. If the doc says he's disabled then it's likely he be approved. BUT if they don't think your doc is qualified to diagnose him then you're going to have to go through the process of having him properly diagnosed.

A pediatrician is not the right person to diagnose anything that is not a childhood illness. ADHD, Autism, mental health issues, Epilepsy, and other specific diseases need to be diagnosed and treated by a specialist for that disorder/disease.

Good day J.,
If your son is 3 and under you can call your local ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) office. It may be called something a little different in PA. But it's nation-wide and from the age of 0-3 they provide free services. If your son i s over 3 then call them anyway and see if they have some community resources that may work for you. Sometimes school districts have special programs too.
Good luck,
M.

You can try.... but most likely SS will refuse it, at least the first time. However, you can continue to apply, and with different documentation, you might be able to get some support.

My daughter filed for her son, but he didn't have the diagnosis of autism at that point... just global developmental delay and SPD...... it was turned down, though.

From what I've heard, SS frequently turns down those requests the first time, and then it depends......

Most groups are based on income so if you don't qualify for the programs free you probably won't qualify for SSI either since it is also income based.

Still my son does a fair few of the social groups. Sure the camps are about 500 for four weeks but the meetings are only around 10 to 25 depending on the activity. Perhaps you need to dig a bit deeper there.

just so you know there are not a lot of free programs out there for autistic children. even with private insurance, there are not enough visits is for the therapist that are needed are not covered.socialization and engagement are two of the biggest problems kids with autism face so anytime that you can add to that it is much better for the child.

applying for SSI takes a long time we started the process in August last year and we were finally approved and mar and we receive the April payments on May 30th. this and you start the sooner you'll get done and there are a lot of hoops and a lot of issues that you have to work with them on most of its paperwork you have to do over and over again so go ahead and start now in the end it's worth it.

ETA apply online at socialsecurity.gov and follow the directions there.

My 11 yo grandson is autistic. He's going into 6th grade special ed program. He's functioning at 5-6 year old level. He can't read or spell or put together cause and affect. His mom looked into SSI a few years ago andcwas told he wouldn't qualify; that at preschool and early years his diagnosis is not certain enough. He now has several diagnosis.

This Spring she called our local SS office and was encouraged to apply. The application process requires much documentation which she is in the process of gathering. His parents are emplyed and are low income.

To those who say there are plenty of services available that is not true and the ones that are available cost money. Government services are limited. My grandson needs more intensive speech therapy. He gets 1-2 hours/week at school. More than that his parents have to pay for. He has serious anger issues. His parents have to pay for specialied diagnosis and treatment. Finding a psychologist who is trained and experienced in autism is dificult and once you find one they are over $150/session. He continues to need physical therapy. He needs help different to what a regular child needs to learn physical activities. On and on.

You can ALWAYS apply; whether or not your application is granted, is something else. My 13 year old GD gets social security; she has many issues including OCD, and autism. If you are going to apply, I suggest finding a social security/disability advocate to help you. Those folks know the right words to use to get the application granted. Given this application is for a child, you are going to need expertise. The advocates do not charge; they get a small fee from the client's award. And the fee is SMALL; the advocate will NEVER get more than the client. The ALJs are really very good and they do have the claimants' best interests in mind.