Disability Benefits for Children with Autism: How Much?
Families raising a child who has been diagnosed with autism face challenges, including financial ones. The Social Security Administration oversees two disability benefits programs, Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance.
SSDI and SSI provide autism disability benefits to help families meet financial challenges, but they do so in different ways. Each program has its own set of requirements for applicants. American Disability Action Group wants families of autistic children to know the SSA autism check benefits available to them.
What Is Autism?
Autism is a developmental condition that affects people in different ways, which is why it is now called autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Development of the brain can cause people with ASD to experience the following conditions:
- Repetitive behaviors.
- Social skill challenges.
- Speech and nonverbal communication challenges.
It is not uncommon for someone diagnosed with ASD to also have other physical and mental health conditions, such as:
- Seizures
- Sleep disorder
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Autism is a lifelong condition typically diagnosed during childhood.
Does Autism Meet the Social Security Definition of Disability?
The Social Security Administration uses specific definitions of definition to evaluate claims by adults and children for SSDI and SSI benefits. The adults must be unable to do substantial gainful activity because of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment expected to last for at least 12 months or expected to cause death.
The definition of disability for a child who is not blind is a medical condition or combination of conditions that results in marked or severe functional limitations. The condition or conditions must have lasted, or be expected to last, for at least 12 months, or be expected to result in death.
A person who meets the disability definition has to meet the non-medical requirements. SSDI requires a work history of sufficient duration and payment of Social Security taxes on the earnings. SSI does not have a work requirement. It is a need-based program that limits the income and resources that a person may have available to them.
Through a process called “deeming,” the SSA considers a portion of the income and resources of the parent or parents as available to their child applying for SSI. A parent’s income affects whether a child with autism is approved for SSI benefits and the amount of monthly benefits the child receives.
SSI Disability Benefits for a Child with Autism
A child approved for SSI disability benefits may receive up to a maximum federal monthly disability amount. The federal benefit rate changes each year due to a cost-of-living adjustment.
The federal benefit in 2026 is $994 per month for individuals and $1,491 for couples. Some states fund supplemental benefits to their residents who receive federal benefits through the SSI program.
How much a child receives monthly depends on their income from other sources. For example, the deemed income of a parent or parents that a disabled child lives with may reduce the amount of the monthly SSI benefits.
SSDI Disability Benefits for Autistic Children
The child of a parent who is entitled to receive Social Security retirement or SSDI benefits may be entitled to SSDI benefits through a parent’s account. This includes benefits payable through the account of a deceased parent who worked long enough to meet the requirements for SSDI or Social Security retirement benefits.
Dependent disability income may be paid to a child who is younger than 18 years of age and unmarried based on the earnings record of a parent. A child between 18 and 19 may receive benefits on a parent’s account while a full-time student in primary or secondary school.
An unmarried child who is age 18 or older may receive SSDI benefits paid on the earnings record of a parent through what the SSA refers to as “disabled adult child benefits.” The child’s disability must have begun before they were the amount of benefits payable to a disabled adult child can be up to 50% of a parent’s SSDI or retirement benefits. An adult disabled child may receive up to 75% of the monthly disability amount a deceased parent would have been entitled to receive.
Receiving dependent disability income or adult disabled child benefits through a parent’s earning records does not preclude them from also being approved for SSI benefits. Just keep in mind that income, including Social Security benefits, may affect the amount a child with autism receives in SSI payments each month.
Contact The ADA Group Legal Team for Assistance
Let the dependable and resourceful team of legal professionals at American Disability Action Group help you navigate the Social Security disability benefits process. Obtaining autism disability benefits can be a challenge. As a nationwide firm, we can help wherever you live. Contact ADA Group for a free consultation and claim review.
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