Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), a common childhood disorder, can plague sufferers with symptoms of impulsiveness and inattention. To be diagnosed with ADD, a child must display disruptive symptoms that show up prior to age 7. In order to secure Social Security benefits for a child with ADD, the child must not only meet a strict set of criteria, but the criteria must also be clearly documented.
Disruptive Symptoms
Children are considered to have ADD if they exhibit six or more of the following symptoms: difficulty sustaining attention in daily tasks or during playtime, trouble listening when being spoken to, inattention to details and careless errors, no follow-through on instruction and unfinished work (e.g. homework and chores), frequent loss of things such as toys and assignments, trouble organizing tasks and activities, reluctance to exert sustained mental effort, and easy distractibility.
Overview of Requirements
According to the Social Security Administration website, benefits are available to children with ADD. To be considered for benefits, a child's caregivers must provide a set of medically documented findings of marked inattention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity on the child's part. Secondly, a child between the ages of 3 and 18 must exhibit ADD-related marked impairment in at least two of the following categories: age-appropriate cognitive or communication function, age-appropriate personal functioning, and age-appropriate social functioning.
Supporting Documentation
Each of the marked impairments must be proven with acceptable supporting documentation. Documentation should come through medical findings such as physician notes, historical information such as teacher reports, and standardized testing results such as those found with IQ tests and achievement tests.
Determination
An examiner at Disability Determination Services (DDS) will review provided records, converse with an in-house consultant, and make a decision on the case. When it comes to ADD claims, the consultant is a psychologist or psychiatrist rather than a medical doctor. The person who reviews the case may determine that there is an insufficient amount of information to make a proper decision.
Further Examination
In the event that the child's records don't provide enough information, the Social Security Administration will set up and cover an examination for the child. Some common types of examinations ordered for children are examinations of mental status and intellectual functioning.
Chances of Success
The Social Security Administration rarely finds children with ADD to be disabled. Children with disabilities in certain classes are commonly denied Social Security benefits, so even if your child is in a special education class, he isn't guaranteed any benefits. The children who are found to be severely disabled by ADD are the only ones who end up getting covered.
