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SSI for children is only awarded to families whose reported income is below a certain (pretty low) level. Unfortunately, it is often obtained fraudulently, and is awarded way too easily. SSI eligibility is re-evaluated when the person is around 18/19, and by then it's obvious that they don't qualify, so is often not continued.
If the parents weren't hiding their income, then they would have needed the SSI payment to run the household. If they were hiding their income, and collecting it fraudulently, well, then the last issue is that they didn't "share" the fraudulently-obtained money with the child.