Getting a disability check for speech

[JohnDaleswife]

Can a mother still get a disability check for a child who has a stuttering problem now days? When I was younger, I had a friend that had numerous kids, and one of them did have a stutter and she drew a check.

Now that was 20 years ago and she really used public assistance to the max as to not to have to work. But I know that times are changed.

Fast forward, I now have a three-year-old niece that has the stutter issue and was wondering if she would be eligible for the same check.

 

[TwoMisfits]

It will be incredibly difficult. The current rules require the following...

"There is a disability listing in the Blue Book that specifically addresses loss of speech (2.09). To meet the listing, your medical records must show that you have an inability to produce speech that can be:
heard
understood, and
sustained.

If you are able to use esophageal speech or electronic devices such as an electrolarynx to articulate well enough to be heard and understood, you won't meet this listing. You don't need to have a specific cause of the speech impairment to meet this listing; the only important information is that your speech is not effective for communicating with others."

With the proliferation of electronic devices which can be used for speech, there are very few ways to qualify for this, outside of having an issue unrelated to speech, such as a stroke, cerebral palsy, or TBI.

I would expect your niece would be denied. If your niece wanted to fight hard for this, it's possible she might eventually get qualified (depending if she meets the above 3 categories), but I'm not sure the time and expense of the fight would be worth the eventual benefit.

 

[Pooh2]

Are they looking for help with her speech, or just looking for a government check?
She is eligible for speech therapy in the school system.
You might want to call the superintendents office to see what services are available.
Most districts have early intervention/treatment programs available to younger children.

 

[wendow]

She should easily qualify for free therapy through the public schools. Two of my kids needed various therapies, including my 2nd dd who stuttered terribly until she was about 6, and we received free therapy.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

This is what I was thinking. I think it was much easier to have gotten it 20 years ago, but with the rapid abuse of such, it is now where it should be as far as eligibility.

Do most kids recover from it?

 

[bababear_50]

Have a look here for FAQs

http://www.stutteringhelp.org/faq

Many kids do "outgrow" stuttering issues however some do not, early intervention is important.

P.S.
I always recommend that parents if they can afford it get secondary help from a private speech therapist as the actual amount of in school therapy can vary from school district to school district.

Look for neighbourhood child development (preschool) treatment centers--call and see if they can recommend a route of action.
Also ask pediatrician for a referral to a hearing specialist.

Hugs Mel

 

[QueenIsabella]

I would worry less about getting a check, and more about getting the child help. These days, they have Early Intervention, which can start from birth (for preemies or newborns with known disabilities from the start). You have to get recommended by a doctor, then get evaluated. The child has to be x months delayed in one area, or x-y months delayed in 2 or more areas, to qualify for services. Services vary by state and/or county. The professionals come to the child's house and provide the services, so many times per week or month. Once the child reaches age 3, the services are typically offered through a nearby school.

Stuttering, by itself, might not qualify, versus not speaking, or having a limited vocabulary. The process takes a couple months to go from doctor's visit to starting the services. Once a year, there's a re-evaluation to see if services are still needed.

Early Intervention is really a good program--helping out in the early years can prevent years of problems down the road. It's worth looking into.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

Her mother tells me that the stuttering comes and goes. Now I don't know just how true that is as I have noticed it before.

I was just curious about the check thing. Much more concern over the actual impediment.

 

[aaarcher86]

This is what I was thinking. I think it was much easier to have gotten it 20 years ago, but with the rapid abuse of such, it is now where it should be as far as eligibility.

Do most kids recover from it?

If you were a kid you really don't know what else she might have had going on to get that check.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

If you were a kid you really don't know what else she might have had going on to get that check.

If you were a kid you really don't know what else she might have had going on to get that check.

Not a kid, I am 42 now. She was one of my best friends since I was little. I knew exactly what was going on. She didn't want to work then and still doesn't to this day. Food stamps, WIC, Medicaid, EICredit was a way of life for her and her husband and 4 kids.

 

[redsonja76]

Very interesting, I had no idea you could get disability for this. My SIL who is in her mid 20's has severe apraxia of the mouth, received a lot of speech therapy, but is still VERY hard to understand. Unless you know her and are used to talking to her, you wouldn't really understand her. Because of this, she has never held a job. She is also a little bit behind developmentally. She lives at home with her parents now. My DH and I were curious what sort of resources are available to someone like her when his parents eventually die and the responsibility of her care falls to us.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

Very interesting, I had no idea you could get disability for this. My SIL who is in her mid 20's has severe apraxia of the mouth, received a lot of speech therapy, but is still VERY hard to understand. Unless you know her and are used to talking to her, you wouldn't really understand her. Because of this, she has never held a job. She is also a little bit behind developmentally. She lives at home with her parents now. My DH and I were curious what sort of resources are available to someone like her when his parents eventually die and the responsibility of her care falls to us.

Maybe she would qualify. Sounds like she should be able to get something.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Maybe she would qualify. Sounds like she should be able to get something.

Likely not, if she could use an electronic device. It is a VERY hard standard to meet now. However, that's actually not a bad thing. The proliferation in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices has really helped so many who had no access to these 30-40 years ago.

 

[tasha99]

At that age, stuttering may be developmental. I would contact the early intervention program in your area, but if she didn't qualify, I would seriously consider private speech therapy. And by not qualifying, I mean not qualifying due to age or some limitation that appears to be budget-related - - often people mistake disfluencies that are normal for stuttering. If after evaluation she is found not to stutter then obviously speech therapy may not be necessary.

If she is diagnosed, there is a program for very young children who stutter called Lidcombe that was considered effective 5 years ago when I was in grad school for speech therapy (pediatrics is not my area of expertise though, and there may be new research since then). Do seek therapy now rather than wait. If I remember correctly, most children in their threes who stutter outgrow it. However about 20% don't and they need therapy right away. The thought when I was in school was to monitor for a few months but start treatment very early to reach that 20%.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

Likely not, if she could use an electronic device. It is a VERY hard standard to meet now. However, that's actually not a bad thing. The proliferation in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices has really helped so many who had no access to these 30-40 years ago.

Too bad. Sounds like she could use it.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Too bad. Sounds like she could use it.

I look at it differently. Imagine 200 years ago or so getting a check for bad vision b/c no one had anything that could correct it and you couldn't see well enough to function in a job or society...and then imagine having the advances of eyeglasses and contact lenses that make you able to fully see with mechanical "help".

I don't know of anyone who would prefer the check over the huge life improvement of the devices. We have been able to do for communication now what we did for vision years ago, and that's a great thing.

 

[tnklvr]

I have a son who had serious speech issues, he is now an adult. I had him in both private speech therapy and through the school. He is now 21 and even when he was little he would not qualify for disability and at age 4 nobody could understand him at all. I would bet the person you knew was not telling you everything and either her daughter had other serious issues that she did qualify for or she was saying what she had was considered a disability but not in the sense that she was collecting a disability check.

 

[Dakota731]

Wow I guess I'm naive. I thought a disability check was for someone who couldn't work and needed to support a family. Why would a 3 year old need a disability check? I understand having access to support service but this seems crazy. No wonder our taxes are so high and this country will never be able to balance the budget!

 

[Malibustyle23]

Wow I guess I'm naive. I thought a disability check was for someone who couldn't work and needed to support a family. Why would a 3 year old need a disability check? I understand having access to support service but this seems crazy. No wonder our taxes are so high and this country will never be able to balance the budget!

I'm going to reference a perfect world situation where no one takes advantage of the system:
In that scenario there are plenty of reasons why you would need or receive a check to care for your disabled child. Care, health care equipment, therapy; occupational, physical, speech, etc, Dr visits, meds, time off of work to care for them and to attend Dr, therapy, etc appt, the lists goes on and on of the needs of a disabled child that you could never understand as an outsider. All of these needs can add up to an exponential amount not always or fully covered by insurances.

Perhaps keep the judgement to a minimum and the empathy to a maximum?!

 

[mjkacmom]

I would worry less about getting a check, and more about getting the child help. These days, they have Early Intervention, which can start from birth (for preemies or newborns with known disabilities from the start). You have to get recommended by a doctor, then get evaluated. The child has to be x months delayed in one area, or x-y months delayed in 2 or more areas, to qualify for services. Services vary by state and/or county. The professionals come to the child's house and provide the services, so many times per week or month. Once the child reaches age 3, the services are typically offered through a nearby school.

Stuttering, by itself, might not qualify, versus not speaking, or having a limited vocabulary. The process takes a couple months to go from doctor's visit to starting the services. Once a year, there's a re-evaluation to see if services are still needed.

Early Intervention is really a good program--helping out in the early years can prevent years of problems down the road. It's worth looking into.

You do not need to involve the pediatrician at all. Depending on your state, you can ask for an evaluation by EI, either through your health department, or school system. By law, they have to evaluate the child within a certain time frame (and it's free). Ds13 received almost 2 years of speech therapy, after my pediatrician told me he didn't speak because he had a twin sister. Turns out he had very weak mouth muscles.