Autism and Disability

When my son was about three years old, I suspected that he had Autism. I’d never heard of it, and there was so much I didn’t know about how he’d gotten it, or how to treat it.

Upon learning that there is no cure for this disorder, a friend advised me that I should be applying for social security benefits on behalf of my son who is seven years old. I called the 1-800 numbers, and was given an appointment the following week after answering a bunch of questions about family income, if he had been officially diagnosed, etc…Since this is a condition that is going to effect him the rest of his life, I’m glad that he can receive some type of assistance from the government, because I feel strongly that the vaccines given to him in his infancy as required by law is what attributed to his condition. The woman who interviewed me was very nice, and even though my son was a little disruptive, she treated us both with warmth and with respect.

After the interview and turning in all of my documentation, she explained the process to me. First, even though he was going through a diagnostic, he would have to be seen by one of their physicians. She told me that it would take me three to five months for them to either approve or deny benefits, but if approved his payments would be pro-rated from the date I applied. I am still waiting and should receive word in January at the latest.