Cerebral Palsy and Receiving Social Security Disability
Cerebral palsy is a general term that refers to a group of disorders that begin during the early stages of life. Cerebral palsy affects the ability of your child with disability to coordinate body movements.
These disorders are caused by damage to the brain of your child with disability early in the course of development. This damage can take place during fetal development, the birth process or the first few months after the birth of your child with disability. Cerebral palsy can range anywhere from mild to severe.
There are three main types of cerebral palsy:
Spastic cerebral palsy is what most children have. This type of cerebral palsy causes muscles to stiffen making movement difficult.
Athetotic cerebral palsy is what about one in five people with cerebral palsy have. It is also called extrapyramidal cerebral palsy. It affects all of the body and usually causes slow, uncontrolled movement.
Ataxic cerebral palsy is the rarest kind of cerebral palsy. It affects coordination and balance.
There can be a wide range of ways that cerebral palsy may affect your child with disability. These signs and symptoms do not get worse with age. Some of these effects are:
Variations in muscle tone from too stiff to too floppy
Tremors
Stiff muscles and exaggerated reflexes (spasticity)
Lack of muscle coordination when performing voluntary movements
Asymmetrical walking gait, with one leg or foot dragging
Excessive drooling or difficulties sucking, swallowing or speaking
Difficulty with precise motions like buttoning a shirt or writing.
Some children with cerebral palsy are extremely mentally retarded, while others are exceptionally intelligent. Some need a wheelchair and lifelong care, but others need little or no help.
Your child with disability may be one of those who needs lifelong care. Your child with disability may be disabled because of cerebral palsy.
If this is true, you may need help for your child with disability. You may need financial assistance.
Have you thought about applying for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits for your child with disability from the Social Security Administration because of the disability that is caused by cerebral palsy? Have you already done this, and your child with disability was denied?
You may be wondering what to do next? Do you have any recourse? What options are open to you?
One option that you have is to appeal the denial by the Social Security Administration on behalf of your child with disability with cerebral palsy. If you do this, here is something that you need to know.
Your child with disability is going to need a confident disability lawyer like the one you will find at Disability Case Review to represent them in this process. This is true because people who have a caring disability attorney are approved more often than those people who do not have a lawyer.
