Getting Records for a Child SSI Disability Claim

I’ve only said this about a thousand times here. Disability cases boil down to what’s in the records. Typically, that means medical evidence in medical records. However, for an SSI child disability claim, records can also include school records, and this can be the case whether the child’s impairment is physical or is a mental impairment.

Why would you have to gather school records for a child who is applying for disability on the basis of, say, ADHD, autism, a learning disability, or impaired cognitive functioning (mental retardation, or borderline intellectual functioning)? Because child disability claims are very different from adult cases.

For adults who file for disability, the deciding factor will be whether or not the individual can engage in work activity, either past work or some type of other work.

For child disability claims (SSI), cases are decided on the basis of whether not the claimant can engage in age-appropriate activities. This typically boils down to intellectual and academic performance in comparison to one’s peers. And, of course, even a physical impairment, such as seizure disorder or asthma, can have an effect on things like this. One has simply to remember that the social security administration is chiefly concerned with functionality. The reason why (i.e. the condition itself) is largely irrelevant.

What type of academic records do you gather for a child SSI disability claim and how do you gather them? Let’s discuss the “how” first. This can vary tremendously, depending on the school district. Sometimes, record requests are sent to a centralized records department for a school district, sometimes they are sent to a school’s guidance office, sometimes they are sent to a school’s main office (the principal’s office), and sometimes, less frequently, they are sent to the direct attention of a teacher.

How will you know where to send the record request to? There’s really only one way, especially since protocol can vary even between different schools in the very same school district. You should call the school in question and ask them where a request for records on a student in attendance should be sent. As always, of course, send a release form and make sure the request is detailed enough so that you’ll actually get back the records you need (otherwise, you could end up getting nothing but grade reports when what you really need is achievement and IQ records).

Problems you may run into in gathering records from a school may include A) general incompetence and B) the school’s operating schedule. Regarding A, it can be difficult to gather academic records because many schools (this may or may not surprise people) are run poorly from an administrative standpoint. Regarding B, it can be very difficult to obtain records when a school is on break. Summer breaks can literally mean an inability to obtain records for months at a time, which can be extremely problematic for a disability hearing that is being held in a summer month.

What type of records will be requested on a child SSI Disability claim? Really, anything that may point to functionality and impaired functioning. Logically, this includes grade reports, IEPs, and copies of specialized testing, such as intelligence testing and academic achievement testing. However, it can, and should, also include completed questionaires from a child’s teacher, or teachers. Such questionaires can deliver (to an administrative law judge holding a hearing) a detailed first-hand account from the one individual who is uniquely qualified to report on a child’s ability to engage in age-appropriate activities in a school setting; namely, the child’s teacher.

How do you send such a questionaire to a teacher? You may first wish to determine which teacher to send the form to. If the child has a single teacher, the choice is obvious. If the child has multiple teachers such as in higher grade levels, this may be a matter of sending multiple questionaires in the hope that at least one teacher will fill one out and return it.

Where are teacher’s questionaires obtained? This is not the type of form that is used by the social security administration, which is odd considering that SSA will obtain reports on a adult claimant’s ADLs, or activities of daily living. However, SSA also does not send RFC, or residual functional capacity forms, to a claimant’s doctors, so this should not be too surprising.

Teacher’s questionaires are typically sent out by a claimant’s disability attorney, and generally this effort is only made in preparation for a disability hearing.

As this is the case, a parent who is filing for child disability benefits may actually wish to ask their chosen disability representative if an attempt will be made to obtain such a questionaire. Not doing so is equivalent to being less prepared for a hearing than ideally would be the case. And for this reason, a parent who learns that their child’s attorney will not attempt to gather such information may wish to find other representation.

Return to the Social Security Disability SSI Benefits Blog

Social Security Disability and SSI, what is the difference?
Can I win my social security disability claim?

Emergency Care: Primary care doctors often don"t know that a child sought care for asthma in the emergency department

Emergency Care
Primary care doctors often don’t know that a child sought care for asthma in the emergency department

When a patient with asthma seeks care for symptoms at an emergency department (ED), the ED staff should take steps to alert the patient’s primary care physician (PCP) so the PCP is aware of changes to medications and can avoid medical errors. However, a recent study finds that PCPs are not always informed that their patients visited EDs. Richard N. Shiffman, M.D., M.C.I.S., and his colleague at Yale University School of Medicine reviewed medical records of 350 children who regularly received care at community health centers (CHCs), but ended up in an ED after experiencing an asthma flareup.

Nearly 63 percent of patient records at the CHC contained faxed discharge summaries or a note from the ED provider, but the remaining 37 percent of records had no mention of the child’s ED visit. Faxes were the most common way (48 percent) EDs notified PCPs that a visit occurred. However, of the 168 faxes EDs sent, 98 percent did not state how long the asthma medications were to be used, 36 percent were missing dosing information, 34 percent did not include how often the drug was to be taken, and 11 percent lacked medication instructions or names. The authors suggest that e-mail and computerized notifications may be more reliable than faxes and phone calls for alerting PCPs of a patient’s ED visit. Further, nearly two-thirds of patients did not follow up with their PCP after an ED visit for asthma.

Automating notifications would remove the burden that falls on patients to arrange followup care and would transfer responsibility for initiating an office visit to the PCP, the authors suggest. This study was funded in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HS15420).

See “Dropping the baton during the handoff from emergency department to primary care: Pediatric asthma continuity errors,” by Allen L. Hsiao, M.D., and Dr. Shiffman in the September 2009 The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety 35(9), pp. 467-474.

Learning problems. Identify, treat and help a child who does not learn

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Learning problems. Identify, treat and help a child who does not learn Learning disabilities affect 1 in 10 school-age children. These problems can be detected in children from the 5 years and are a major concern for many parents, as they affect the school performance interpersonal relationships and their children. A child with learning disabilities usually have a normal level of intelligence, Of visual acuity and hearing.  Is a child who strives to follow the instructions, focus and behave at home and at school. Your challenge is to capture, process and master the tasks and information, and then later develop. The child with this problem simply can not do the same as the others, although their level of intelligence is the same. Detecting learning problems in children The child with specific learning disabilities presents unusual patterns, when perceiving things in the external environment. His neurological patterns are different from those of other children of the same age. However, they share some kind of failure in school or in your community. When a child has trouble processing the information received, he betrays his behavior. Parents should be vigilant and observe the most common signs that indicate the presence of a learning disability: - Difficulty understanding and track tasks and instructions. - Trouble remembering what someone just said. - Difficulty mastering basic skills of reading, Spelling, writing and/or math, and thus fails in school work. - Difficulty distinguishing between right and left, To identify words, etc. You can present tendency to write letters, words or numbers backward. - Lack of coordination walking, playing sports or perform simple activities such as holding a pencil or tying a shoelace. - Easy to lose or lose their school supplies, books and other items. - Difficulty understanding the concept of time, Mistaking the “yesterday”, with “Today” and/or “tomorrow.” - Tendency to irritation or to express excitement easily. Characteristics of learning problems Children with learning disabilities often occur, according to the list obtained from When Learning is a Problem/LDA (Learning Disabilities Association of America), Features and/or deficiencies in: Reading (vision) The child is very close to the book, says words aloud; notes, substituted, omitted and invests the words; sees double jump and read the same line twice, do not read fluently, has little understanding in oral reading; omitted final consonants in oral reading; blinks excessively, you cross when reading; tends to rub eyes and complain that itch, presents problems of visual impairment, poor spelling, among others. Writing Invest and vary the height of the letters; leaves no space between words and does not write over the lines, grab the pencil awkwardly and has not determined if it is right or left handed, move and place the paper in the wrong way, try to write with finger, has a poorly organized thinking and poor posture. Auditory and verbal The child shows apathy, cold, Allergy and/or asthma often, mispronounce words, breathe through your mouth complains Ear Problems And you feel dizzy, goes blank when spoken, speaks loud; depends on other visually and closely observes the teacher, can not go more than one instruction at a time, put the TV and radio too loud. Mathematics The student spends the numbers, have difficulty knowing when, poor comprehension and memory of numbers, math facts does not answer. Attention and concentration of children The environment a child is full of information, news and stimuli. Perhaps, therefore, it is difficult for them to maintain a attention and a concentration in school and in their work in a particular way. The general attention required by any relevant change in his life has sometimes difficulties learning. Attention: base learning Through attention, our mind can focus on one stimulus from among all those around us to ignore all others. With the concentration of the skills fundamental knowledge in the process, keep the attention focused on a point of interest, for as long as necessary. Concentration is practically impossible without learn anything, therefore, the concentration is essential for the learning. Tips to promote focus and concentration 1. Avoid distractions. Dispense with anything that may distract the child, personal problems, family, lack of focus, noise, etc. 2. Diversifying tasks. Change of subject or subject study intervals. The changes help you start the process of care and so the child can stay focused longer. 3. Create routines and study habits. It should start study every day at a set time to get a good cerebral performance. If a person gets used to make the effort to focus every day at the same time, after a few days will you make your mind to focus more easily then. 4. Mark times. It is necessary to set a time for each task or activity and do it exacted on schedule. 5. Organize tasks. Should perform the most difficult tasks when the child is most rested. 6. Focusing the mind. To be fully performance The concentration requires preheating, which may consist of a few minutes (no more than five) to cross out some letters (pick one) of a sheet of paper. You can then move on to the scheduled activity. 7. Set goals and objectives. It is very important that children have clear goals to be achieved. When we want something real and strong, mobilized many of our resources to try to reach it. Therefore, if the child has a clear goal in the study, most of you will to get it. 8. Collate breaks. The care process which usually follows a decay curve over time. Therefore, it is desirable to insert breaks to regain focus. 9. Synthesize and summarize. Mentally summarize what has been heard for an explanation and short phrases pointing details of more interest is a good technique to exercise care. Difficulties of children in the study: strategies for change Getting children strive Is focus, learn realize their goals and achieve in school, is not an easy task for them or their parents. For children to succeed in school, need to possess the brainpower to study, they are motivated, they gradually acquire knowledge and know master work and study habits. Getting good grades is a matter of effort and discipline. Having luck on exams means doing what is good and has worked with some guidelines for organization and basic techniques necessary for the study and will be easier to get good grades. Here are some tips, Aimed at identifying the most frequent difficulties in the study and implement the most appropriate intervention strategies in each case. Patterns of organization and study skills 1. Difficulty planning Occurs when the child studies, but does not devote the necessary time. In other cases, attempts to study at the last minute or in the hours passed, therefore is more tired, and you get the impression that you have studied and worked when, in fact, not the case. Strategy. Planning is based on determining a daily schedule for the study. Spend time every day to study and realization of homework Will help the child to keep up with their studies. For an elementary schooler, half an hour to an hour would be a reasonable time, while one of Secondary should spend about an hour and a half. Children should perform each task on a schedule. 2. Memory difficulties or fixing of the contents. Not the same understanding that only memorize the lesson. The learning process involves understanding what you want to assimilate and then memorize it, and is done through repetition of content. The lack of concentration and proper technique for setting the content (which is achieved by reading, underline, outline and summary) also makes investigation. Strategy. The intervention is, in these cases, improving attention and concentration, using mnemonics, and reviewing the issue. Parents can ask their children the lesson to check the results. 3. Difficulty with attention and concentration. It occurs when a child has a hard time concentrating and to study. Any stimulus attracts around his attention and waste time. Its performance is poor and takes too long to do their jobs. Strategy. To help, you need to remove the stimuli that may be capturing their attention while he studies (television, food, brothers around). It is advisable to do the most difficult tasks when you are more rested, and to study at the same time every day to get a good cerebral performance. It is recommended that the study interleaved with moments of rest, for the child to regain concentration. 4. Difficulty in reading. The child does not have enough speed in the reading or understanding of what they read. Have difficulty knowing the meaning of words used quite common, so its vocabulary is rather poor. Also presents difficulties for texts with correct structures and clear, has a tendency to postpone tasks and averse to reading. Furthermore, cases of children with dyslexia will be treated in an appropriate way and special. Strategy. To intervene in this case, it is best that the child begins to read aloud to acquire a correct intonation, which will help you understand what is being read. After reading, you should ask the child about the most important ideas of the text he has read. It is also advisable to correct a defect of reading and encourage him to seek out unfamiliar words in the dictionary. 5. Lack of basic. It is characterized by difficulties in subjects whose contents have a strong connection between parts and others, as is the case mathematics. The child fails to assimilate the basic structures of the contents of the various areas. Strategy. To change this situation, it is necessary to address this issue with tutoring. An older brother, parents or a tutor can help the child regain the missing. Thus, we will be enhancing their study skills in all subjects. 6. Test Anxiety. The child may be a good student, but fear to suspend him anguish overwhelms him and eventually lose confidence in himself. Feel nervousness and anxiety in the days before the exams, and creates negative thoughts about their results. As a result, you can make stomach ache, insomnia, Sweaty palms, inappetence and muscular tension, and palpitations. Some develop automatic actions as nail biting, For example. Strategy. To alleviate this situation is appropriate, first, help the child explaining what happens so you know that everything is hopeless. Then, teach him to develop positive thoughts, focusing on what we need to do here and now, without comparing him with others. It is necessary to teach the child to relax to overcome the situation to avoid attend the review, even if it seems difficult.

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Learning problems. Identify, treat and help a child who does not learn

Learning disabilities affect 1 in 10 school-age children. These problems can be detected in children from the 5 years and are a major concern for many parents, as they affect the school performance interpersonal relationships and their children. A child with learning disabilities usually have a normal level of intelligence, Of visual acuity and hearing. 

Is a child who strives to follow the instructions, focus and behave at home and at school. Your challenge is to capture, process and master the tasks and information, and then later develop. The child with this problem simply can not do the same as the others, although their level of intelligence is the same.

Detecting learning problems in children

The child with specific learning disabilities presents unusual patterns, when perceiving things in the external environment. His neurological patterns are different from those of other children of the same age. However, they share some kind of failure in school or in your community.

When a child has trouble processing the information received, he betrays his behavior. Parents should be vigilant and observe the most common signs that indicate the presence of a learning disability:

- Difficulty understanding and track tasks and instructions.

- Trouble remembering what someone just said.

- Difficulty mastering basic skills of reading, Spelling, writing and/or math, and thus fails in school work.

- Difficulty distinguishing between right and left, To identify words, etc. You can present tendency to write letters, words or numbers backward.

- Lack of coordination walking, playing sports or perform simple activities such as holding a pencil or tying a shoelace.

- Easy to lose or lose their school supplies, books and other items.

- Difficulty understanding the concept of time, Mistaking the “yesterday”, with “Today” and/or “tomorrow.”

- Tendency to irritation or to express excitement easily.

Characteristics of learning problems

Children with learning disabilities often occur, according to the list obtained from When Learning is a Problem/LDA (Learning Disabilities Association of America), Features and/or deficiencies in:

Reading (vision) The child is very close to the book, says words aloud; notes, substituted, omitted and invests the words; sees double jump and read the same line twice, do not read fluently, has little understanding in oral reading; omitted final consonants in oral reading; blinks excessively, you cross when reading; tends to rub eyes and complain that itch, presents problems of visual impairment, poor spelling, among others.

Writing Invest and vary the height of the letters; leaves no space between words and does not write over the lines, grab the pencil awkwardly and has not determined if it is right or left handed, move and place the paper in the wrong way, try to write with finger, has a poorly organized thinking and poor posture.

Auditory and verbal The child shows apathy, cold, Allergy and/or asthma often, mispronounce words, breathe through your mouth complains Ear Problems And you feel dizzy, goes blank when spoken, speaks loud; depends on other visually and closely observes the teacher, can not go more than one instruction at a time, put the TV and radio too loud.

Mathematics The student spends the numbers, have difficulty knowing when, poor comprehension and memory of numbers, math facts does not answer.

Attention and concentration of children

The environment a child is full of information, news and stimuli. Perhaps, therefore, it is difficult for them to maintain a attention and a concentration in school and in their work in a particular way.

The general attention required by any relevant change in his life has sometimes difficulties learning.

Attention: base learning

Through attention, our mind can focus on one stimulus from among all those around us to ignore all others. With the concentration of the skills fundamental knowledge in the process, keep the attention focused on a point of interest, for as long as necessary. Concentration is practically impossible without learn anything, therefore, the concentration is essential for the learning.
Tips to promote focus and concentration

1. Avoid distractions. Dispense with anything that may distract the child, personal problems, family, lack of focus, noise, etc.

2. Diversifying tasks. Change of subject or subject study intervals. The changes help you start the process of care and so the child can stay focused longer.

3. Create routines and study habits. It should start study every day at a set time to get a good cerebral performance. If a person gets used to make the effort to focus every day at the same time, after a few days will you make your mind to focus more easily then.

4. Mark times. It is necessary to set a time for each task or activity and do it exacted on schedule.

5. Organize tasks. Should perform the most difficult tasks when the child is most rested.

6. Focusing the mind. To be fully performance The concentration requires preheating, which may consist of a few minutes (no more than five) to cross out some letters (pick one) of a sheet of paper. You can then move on to the scheduled activity.

7. Set goals and objectives. It is very important that children have clear goals to be achieved. When we want something real and strong, mobilized many of our resources to try to reach it. Therefore, if the child has a clear goal in the study, most of you will to get it.

8. Collate breaks. The care process which usually follows a decay curve over time. Therefore, it is desirable to insert breaks to regain focus.

9. Synthesize and summarize. Mentally summarize what has been heard for an explanation and short phrases pointing details of more interest is a good technique to exercise care.

Difficulties of children in the study: strategies for change

Getting children strive Is focus, learn realize their goals and achieve in school, is not an easy task for them or their parents. For children to succeed in school, need to possess the brainpower to study, they are motivated, they gradually acquire knowledge and know master work and study habits.

Getting good grades is a matter of effort and discipline. Having luck on exams means doing what is good and has worked with some guidelines for organization and basic techniques necessary for the study and will be easier to get good grades. Here are some tips, Aimed at identifying the most frequent difficulties in the study and implement the most appropriate intervention strategies in each case.

Patterns of organization and study skills

1. Difficulty planning
Occurs when the child studies, but does not devote the necessary time. In other cases, attempts to study at the last minute or in the hours passed, therefore is more tired, and you get the impression that you have studied and worked when, in fact, not the case.

Strategy. Planning is based on determining a daily schedule for the study. Spend time every day to study and realization of homework Will help the child to keep up with their studies. For an elementary schooler, half an hour to an hour would be a reasonable time, while one of Secondary should spend about an hour and a half. Children should perform each task on a schedule.

2. Memory difficulties or fixing of the contents. Not the same understanding that only memorize the lesson. The learning process involves understanding what you want to assimilate and then memorize it, and is done through repetition of content. The lack of concentration and proper technique for setting the content (which is achieved by reading, underline, outline and summary) also makes investigation.

Strategy. The intervention is, in these cases, improving attention and concentration, using mnemonics, and reviewing the issue. Parents can ask their children the lesson to check the results.

3. Difficulty with attention and concentration. It occurs when a child has a hard time concentrating and to study. Any stimulus attracts around his attention and waste time. Its performance is poor and takes too long to do their jobs.

Strategy. To help, you need to remove the stimuli that may be capturing their attention while he studies (television, food, brothers around). It is advisable to do the most difficult tasks when you are more rested, and to study at the same time every day to get a good cerebral performance. It is recommended that the study interleaved with moments of rest, for the child to regain concentration.

4. Difficulty in reading. The child does not have enough speed in the reading or understanding of what they read. Have difficulty knowing the meaning of words used quite common, so its vocabulary is rather poor. Also presents difficulties for texts with correct structures and clear, has a tendency to postpone tasks and averse to reading. Furthermore, cases of children with dyslexia will be treated in an appropriate way and special.

Strategy. To intervene in this case, it is best that the child begins to read aloud to acquire a correct intonation, which will help you understand what is being read. After reading, you should ask the child about the most important ideas of the text he has read. It is also advisable to correct a defect of reading and encourage him to seek out unfamiliar words in the dictionary.

5. Lack of basic. It is characterized by difficulties in subjects whose contents have a strong connection between parts and others, as is the case mathematics. The child fails to assimilate the basic structures of the contents of the various areas.

Strategy. To change this situation, it is necessary to address this issue with tutoring. An older brother, parents or a tutor can help the child regain the missing. Thus, we will be enhancing their study skills in all subjects.

6. Test Anxiety. The child may be a good student, but fear to suspend him anguish overwhelms him and eventually lose confidence in himself. Feel nervousness and anxiety in the days before the exams, and creates negative thoughts about their results. As a result, you can make stomach ache, insomnia, Sweaty palms, inappetence and muscular tension, and palpitations. Some develop automatic actions as nail biting, For example.

Strategy. To alleviate this situation is appropriate, first, help the child explaining what happens so you know that everything is hopeless. Then, teach him to develop positive thoughts, focusing on what we need to do here and now, without comparing him with others. It is necessary to teach the child to relax to overcome the situation to avoid attend the review, even if it seems difficult.

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