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A child who is disabled or whose ability to function normally is impaired, is often entitled to social security benefits that would be paid to his/her parent or guardian on the child's behalf. The amount could be, depending on circumstances as much as $500.00 or $600.00 per month and would be adjusted for inflation. In order to qualify for such benefits, the child must be found to have a condition which matches a listing or which medically or functionally is equivalent to a listing. In making that determination, the Social Security Administration evaluates the child's capacity to: 1) acquire and use information 2) attend and complete tasks 3) interact and relate to others 4) move about and manipulate objects 5) care for himself/herself and 6) looks at the child's overall health and well being. If the child is found to have marked limitations in two of these so-called areas (called domains), or a severe limitation in one domain, the child will be determined to be disabled and entitled to benefits.

Common conditions that will result in an award of benefits include mental retardation, schizophrenia, autism, seizure disorders, severe ADHD, spine disorders and epilepsy.

Children can also draw social security benefits based on a parent's earning if that parent dies, is disabled or drawing old age social security benefits. The benefits drawn on behalf of the child are in addition to anything that the parent is entitled to. These benefits usually terminate when the child reaches 18 years of age. However, if the parent has died, or becomes disabled and a child can be shown to have become disabled before the age of 22, the child can draw benefits based on the parent's earnings for as long as the child's disability continues.
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