Social Security recognizes autism as potentially eligible for disability benefits, but securing benefits is a real challenge.
You must be almost entirely unable to work to qualify for Social Security Disability. Being a spectrum disorder, autism allows many people to work without any limitation. Severe cases offer no chance at working or independent living. Many cases fall somewhere in between.
Getting disability for autism requires proving your case is among those severe enough to make working impossible.
Autism also is hard to understand—for people with it, for caregivers and just as much for Social Security Disability claim adjudicators. Autism is not always easy to see at first glance. That makes explaining your case another challenge.
Social Security likes to approach claims in a systematic way, and it’s tough to fit this complicated impairment into a bureaucratic box. Social Security denies most claims for autism and all kinds of mental and physical conditions.
Get help from the experienced disability attorneys at Nash Disability Law.
We focus entirely on Social Security Disability claims. We help people navigate the system every day in Chicagoland, Illinois and Indiana.
Not local to us? That’s okay. Social Security now holds most disability hearings by phone or video, so we represent claimants nationwide—no matter where you live or where your hearing is scheduled.
Nash Disability Law has helped thousands of people for decades, including those with autism, gain the disability benefits and financial assistance to improve their lives.
Autism has much greater awareness today than it once did. The number of cases identified and diagnosed has been increasing for years. Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
April has been a month for autism awareness or acceptance for over 50 years. Famous actors, comedians, musicians and business leaders have said they have it.
Greater understanding in society could help in getting disability benefits for autism, but you still have to prove that you’re eligible for benefits.
You can get Nash Disability Law to help you without paying any fee until you win benefits.
WE’VE HELPED MORE PEOPLE IN THE CHICAGO AREA WIN BENEFITS THAN ANY OTHER LAW FIRM.
Autism diagnoses have steadily increased in recent years because of a broadening definition of its symptoms and greater public awareness leading to more people being screened for it.
The CDC recently found that about one out of every 31 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
The Social Security measurements for determining whether an autism case is eligible for disability benefits, however, require much more than a diagnosis. It’s a detailed evaluation of your everyday functioning in your particular case.
And Social Security has different rules for disability cases for adults with autism and children with autism.
For adults whose disability benefits hinge on ability to work, a psychological evaluation that tells how autism impacts your ability to interact with others and manage your life is central to your case.
Social Security wants to see evidence of:
Social Security will also want evidence of behavioral problems, such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggressiveness or self-harm.
Claims adjudicators will then tie these findings to examples of an extreme limitation in one or significant limitation in two of the following abilities:
If you live in or around Chicago, across Illinois, Indiana, or the country, Nash Disability can help.
We take the time to understand the complexity that autism brings to your life, and we know how Social Security evaluates it. We can guide you through the application process and be with you every step of the way through an appeal should Social Security deny your claim.
Start with a FREE autism disability claim evaluation.
Autism is most commonly detected in childhood.
Special forms of Social Security Disability benefits apply to children or adults who have lived with autism since childhood:
For childhood SSI, a child’s autism must create significant limits in how they function compared to other children to qualify as having a disability. Their disability must be likely to last at least a year if it hasn’t already.
And their families must have little income or other financial resources.
When they turn 18, Social Security no longer factors in the parents’ resources to determine the child’s eligibility. But the child will have to start demonstrating they meet the adult disability standard: inability to work.
For disabled adult child benefits, a disability claim for autism must include being diagnosed and unable to work since before age 22, and you must still be unable to work.
If applying for Social Security Disability benefits has left you confused, or you simply don’t know where to start, Nash Disability Law’s team of expert disability attorneys can offer a guiding hand.
We can also help you put together the strongest appeal possible if Social Security has denied your claim.
In terms of the volume of disability benefits we’ve won for clients, Social Security’s own data have shown Nash Disability Law to be one of the top disability firms in Illinois and the country.
We can help you and your family chart a path to a more financially stable life.
Thank you so very much for your help with my disability claim. Please thank each and everyone who helped in getting this done. Every time I had questions and had to call you for advice, whomever I spoke with at the time was very helpful and polite and most of all caring. Thank you so very much.
Thank you for all your help with my disability case. I felt very confident after discussing my claim with your attorneys. The representation I had for my court date was wonderful. I know I couldn’t have done all that you did on my own . I am very appreciative for all the hard work, time and care you gave to me!
