Roelandt v. Apfel
125 F. Supp. 2d 1138 (S.D. Iowa 2001)
This case sought benefits for a child under the Supplemental
Security Income (SSI) provisions of the Social Security Act. The benefits
were sought in 1996, when the child was 9. The Social Security
Administration denied SSI benefits, but the federal court awarded them.
The child apparently had a classic case of FAS. The diagnosis
included "several dysmorphic features, including narrow bifrontal diameter
grossly, nail hypoplasia, narrow palpebral fissure, ptosis, thin upper
lip, flat mid-face, smooth filtrum, short nose, and unruly scalp hair."
125 F. Supp. at 1142.
The child was also diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder. Although he had a normal IQ (104), his reading level was
extremely poor. While an average student of the child's grade level could
read 100 correct words per minute, the child read only 43 words a minute
with 7 errors. Atypically, he was doing math at grade level.
The court concluded the child was disabled within the meaning of
the SSI statute because there was a marked degree of disability in two
areas, "attending and completing tasks" and "interacting and relating with
others." 125 F. Supp. at 1147-48.
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