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Posts Tagged ‘Mental retardation’

Canavan Disease and Receiving Social Security Disability

Friday, February 11th, 2011

Canavan disease is a rare genetic (inherited) neurological disorder that is marked by the degeneration of the white matter of the brain into spongy tissue that is riddled with microscopic fluid-filled spaces. Canavan disease affects the breakdown and metabolism (use) of aspartic acid.

Canavan disease is one of a group of genetic neurological disorders that are referred to as the leukodystrophies. These diseases cause imperfect development or growth of the myelin sheath, which is the fatty covering that functions as an insulator around nerve fibers in the brain.

Myelin lends its color to the white matter of the brain. It is a complex substance that is composed of at least 10 chemicals. Each one of the leukodystrophies affects one (and only one) of these chemicals. Canavan disease prevents the making of an enzyme that is known as aspartoacylase.

Canavan disease is known by other names. It is also referred to as aspartoacylase deficiency, spongy degeneration of the brain, canavan’s leukodystrophy and ASPA deficiency.

Canavan disease is caused by a faulty (defective) gene that causes the absence of enzyme aspartoacylase. This enzyme is responsible for breaking down a material known as N-acetylaspartic acid in the brain. Without it being there, N-acetylaspartic acid builds up in the brain. This, in turn, causes the deterioration (break down) of the white matter of the brain.

As mentioned earlier, canavan disease is a genetic (inherited) disease. This means that it is passed down from parent to child. It is inherited in what is known as an autosomal recessive pattern. This means that each parent has to have the defective gene in order for a child to have the possibility of getting this disease.

There are several different signs and symptoms that your loved one may have with canavan disease. Some of these are:

  • Poor muscle tone, especially of the neck muscles
  • Swallowing problems
  • Irritability
  • Severe mental retardation
  • Nasal regurgitation (backflow of food material into the nose)
  • Reflux with vomiting
  • Abnormal posture with straight legs and flexed arms
  • Seizures
  • Difficulty with eating
  • Blindness or poor visual tracking
  • Macrocephaly (increased head size).

You may have a loved one with canavan disease. Canavan disease and/or complications that have resulted from this disease may have brought about your loved one’s disability and inability to work.

You may need assistance for your loved one if this is the case. You may need financial help.

You may be planning on applying for financial assistance on behalf of your loved one from the Social Security Administration by applying for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits because of the disability caused by canavan disease and/or complications that have resulted from this disease. You may have already done this, and your loved one was denied by the Social Security Administration.

If you are thinking about reapplying or appealing the denial of your loved one, think about this. People who are represented by a disability attorney are approved more often than people who do not have a disability lawyer working for them.

Please do not wait. Contact the disability lawyer at Social Security Home, today.

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Posted in Neurological, Social Security Disability | No Comments »

Cerebral Palsy and Receiving Social Security Disability

Monday, August 30th, 2010
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Cerebral palsy is a general term that refers to a group of disorders that begin during the early stages of life. Cerebral palsy affects the ability of your child with disability to coordinate body movements.

These disorders are caused by damage to the brain of your child with disability early in the course of development. This damage can take place during fetal development, the birth process or the first few months after the birth of your child with disability. Cerebral palsy can range anywhere from mild to severe.

There are three main types of cerebral palsy:

  • Spastic cerebral palsy is what most children have. This type of cerebral palsy causes muscles to stiffen making movement difficult.
  • Athetotic cerebral palsy is what about one in five people with cerebral palsy have.  It is also called extrapyramidal cerebral palsy. It affects all of the body and usually causes slow, uncontrolled movement.
  • Ataxic cerebral palsy is the rarest kind of cerebral palsy. It affects coordination and balance.

There can be a wide range of ways that cerebral palsy may affect your child with disability. These signs and symptoms do not get worse with age. Some of these effects are:

  • Variations in muscle tone from too stiff to too floppy
  • Tremors
  • Stiff muscles and exaggerated reflexes (spasticity)
  • Lack of muscle coordination when performing voluntary movements
  • Asymmetrical walking gait, with one leg or foot dragging
  • Excessive drooling or difficulties sucking, swallowing or speaking
  • Difficulty with precise motions like buttoning a shirt or writing.

Some children with cerebral palsy are extremely mentally retarded, while others are exceptionally intelligent. Some need a wheelchair and lifelong care, but others need little or no help.

Your child with disability may be one of those who needs lifelong care. Your child with disability may be disabled because of cerebral palsy.

If this is true, you may need help for your child with disability. You may need financial assistance.

Have you thought about applying for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits for your child with disability from the Social Security Administration because of the disability that is caused by cerebral palsy? Have you already done this, and your child with disability was denied?

You may be wondering what to do next? Do you have any recourse? What options are open to you?

One option that you have is to appeal the denial by the Social Security Administration on behalf of your child with disability with cerebral palsy. If you do this, here is something that you need to know.

Your child with disability is going to need a confident disability lawyer like the one you will find at Social Security Home to represent them in this process. This is true because people who have a caring disability attorney are approved more often than those people who do not have a lawyer.

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Posted in Neurological | No Comments »

Fragile X Syndrome and Receiving Social Security Disability

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Fragile X syndrome is the most common form of inherited mental impairment. There is a problem with a specific gene that causes the disease. This gene is called the FMR 1 gene. Normally, this gene makes a protein that you need for brain development. The problem is this mutation causes a person to make little or none of the protein. This is what results in fragile X syndrome.

The impairment caused by fragile X syndrome can range from learning disabilities to more serious intellectual or cognitive disabilities. This is sometimes referred to as mental retardation. Fragile X syndrome is also the most common known cause of autism or “autistio-like” behaviors.

Geneticist Herbert Lubs first identified fragile X syndrome. He first observed the chromosomal defect that is responsible for the syndrome in 1969.

Fragile X syndrome affects about 1 in 4,000 males and 1 in 8,000 females in the United States. It is evidenced in all racial and ethnic groups.

Children and adults with Fragile X syndrome may be affected in many different ways.  Males tend to be more severely affected than females. Some of these ways are:

  • Some degree of mental impairment (mental retardation) or learning disabilities
  • Autistic-like behaviors like hand biting and hand flapping
  • Mood and anxiety problems
  • Behavioral problems like frequent tantrums and difficulties paying attention
  • Speech problems
  • Sensitivity to sounds, light, textures and touch
  • Delays in learning how to talk, sit and walk
  • Subtle physical features that sometimes include a high arched palate, flat feet, large ears, a long narrow face and overly flexible joints (especially the fingers)
  • Males tend to develop enlarged testicles after puberty.

Girls with fragile X syndrome generally have fewer physical signs of the disorder than males. However, some girls have large ears. Only about one-third to one-half of affected girls have mental retardation or learning disabilities. Although, some affected girls with normal intelligence have learning disabilities involving attention difficulties, math, emotional problems (such as shyness, depression and anxiety) and poor social skills.

Most boys with fragile X syndrome have serious learning disabilities or mental retardation. They tend to have social and emotional problems like aggression.

Your child with disability may have fragile X syndrome. This may be the cause of their disability.

You may have tried to get financial help for your child with disability by applying for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of the disability caused by fragile X syndrome and complications resulting from it. Was your child with disability denied?

If you decide to appeal the denial by the Social Security Administration, keep this in mind. People who are represented by a disability attorney like the one you will find at socialsecurityhome.com are approved more often than those people who do not have a lawyer.

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Posted in Impairments that Affect Multiple Body Systems | Comments Off