Pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) are a collection of disorders that cause delays in the regular development of social and communication skills. These disorders are characterized by some degree of deficient in the development of verbal and non-verbal communication skills, the ability to interact socially with others, abstract thinking ability and imaginative ability. PDD are often accompanied by repetitive and restricted activities and interests. These individuals may also have secondary or overlapping Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and may develop mood or emotional disorders. The most common or well-known of these disorders is autism but they also include Asperger's Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Rett's Syndrome. Children with PDD are typically sensitive to sensory or tactile information. Verbal communication may vary dramatically in the spectrum of children with autism who may have limited communication as opposed to children with Asperger's Syndrome who may be highly verbal. Individuals with PDD are of varying intelligence, however, on an IQ test there may be extremely high and extremely low categories of functioning occurring simultaneously. The onset or diagnosis of most PDDs occurs prior to age 3.
In order to prove your disability to Social Security, you need to either document that your condition or conditions meet or equal in severity the criteria found in the Social Security Commissioner's regulations or, if you are an adult, that your condition and symptoms are so severe that you are unable to work. If you are a child under 18, you must similarly show that your condition or conditions meet or equal in severity the criteria in the Social Security Commissioner's regulations or that your condition or conditions functionally equals the Commissioner's regulations. The law firm of Sheryl Gandel Mazur has experienced disability attorneys and has been representing individuals in their Social Security disability appeals for over twenty five years. Let us help you receive your Social Security disability benefits.
Our disability law firm represents individuals:
- In filing their initial disability applications
- In handling cases at the initial level including appealing initial denials
- In handling cases at the reconsideration level including appealing reconsideration denials
- In handling cases at the hearings level
- In appealing and handling cases at the Appeals Council level
- In appealing and handling cases at the Federal Court level
This firm also handles SSI child's disability cases at all levels.
Organizations: Autism Society of America (http://www.autism-society.org/); MAAP Services for Autism, Asperger Syndrome, and PDD (http://www.maapservices.org/); Autism Speaks (http://www.autismspeaks.org/); in New Jersey: http://www.njautismcouncil.org/
