1999-2005 Activities
Over the past seven years, AUCD has operated the Children's SSI Initiative in collaboration with the SSA. The project has included efforts to: conduct interdisciplinary assessments for infant, school age and age 18-disability claimants; implement collaborations with state Disability Determination Services; preparing and presenting training for adjudicators at all levels of the agency; and create tools and protocols for state agency decision makers. The following is an overview of the Project's initial efforts.
Interdisciplinary Assessments
Performed over 850 evaluations at all levels of application and review process including: continuing disability reviews of low birth weight infants; initial applications for school age and adolescents; age 18 re-determinations. Conducted both full interdisciplinary and targeted assessments [speech/language, cognitive, adaptive functioning]. Assigned clinical social workers in certain select cases. [January 1999 - July 2004]
National joint SSA-AUCD case reviews followed each round of assessments to analyze case outcomes and themes. [May 2001, July 2002, November 2003 and July 2004]
Collaboration with Disability Determination Services (DDS)
Funded state collaborations for UCEDD/LEND programs to work with state agencies on variety of activities such as case reviews, case consultations, clinical assessments, training, improving referrals and retrieval of evidence. In consultation with SSA, continuation awards were made to the UCLID Center at the University of Pittsburgh and to the Center for Disabilities and Development at the University Hospital School in Iowa City through September 2006. A third new site was also funded in the last year of the contact, the Center for Disabilities at the University of South Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The Center worked with the DDS to expand the state agency's ability to identify children who are potentially eligible for SSI who live on Pine Ridge Reservation.
Participants report that the collaborations provided opportunities to establish new personal and professional relationships that may continue, regardless of future funding. The various activities and on-going communication deepen appreciation for their respective expertise and provide insights into collaborative efforts that can benefit each agency. [Collaboration efforts were funded from 2002 - 2006]
- Overview
- AUCD/DDS State Collaboration Profiles: 2002-2005 (PDF 44 KB)
- Final 2006 outcomes will be added in the future
Adjudication Training Curricula
Developed and Presented National Video Broadcasts
- Evaluating Autism [Spring 2006]
- Evaluating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder [Spring 2005]
- Communication Disorders and Their Impact on Children's Functioning [May 2004]
- Integrating Evidence in Childhood Disability Cases [March 2004]
- Using School Records to Understand Functional Status [Spring 2003]
- Evaluating a Child's Functioning to Determine Disability [Spring 2003]
Interactive CD-ROM
Uses two case examples to reinforce training modules on school records and children's functional limitations. [Distributed to all DDS and Regional Offices summer 2004]
Case Adjudication Materials
State Resource Guides
Developed State Resource Guides to help adjudicators locate existing medical/other records to expedite case processing time. [Distributed 2003]
Childhood Test List
Created updated list of validated tests for disability adjudicators to document functional limitations for childhood claims: global development/early childhood, cognitive, adaptive behavior, academic achievement, behavior/emotional, speech, language, and motor. [Distributed to DDS Administrators and Regional Offices and posted on SSA's Intranet]
AUCD/SSA List of Childhood Assessment Instruments Presentation [November 2005] (PowerPoint 1,882 KB) (Database coming soon.)
Childhood Function Forms
Revised existing forms to create "user friendly" ones for parents/caregivers to provide information about children's functional limitations. [Under review by SSA Headquarters]
