Autism financial help

northernrocknufc

Hi every 1

Im after some help from all of yous as im new to this.

My daughter has just been diagnosed as having autism. She get assest on 25th Nov to see how far she is on the spectrum. I was wondering is it worth seeking any financial help, if i could what is i am entitled to claim for her, how much to expect and when is the best time to do it?

At the moment i am currently employed 30 hours a week and claim working and child tax credit.

Thanx in advance

Conor_3

My youngest has been this week at last.

Have a look at the National Autistic Society website.
http://www.autism.org.uk/
If you go to here: http://www.autism.org.uk/signpost and type in the profile of your child and it'll then tell you all about it and in the top right hand corner, gives you a list of entitlements etc.

You can claim DLA for your child in addition to carers allowance and possibly council tax benefit. You can also claim the disability component of WTC once DLA is awarded. They have a guide for filling in the DLA forms. You do not need to wait for diagnosis for DLA.
http://www.autism.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1560&a=15409

In addition to that, there's a wealth of info for teachers etc.

If your child is in mainstream school, you need to get a Statutory Statement of Special Educational Needs done by the school. It can take up to 6 months to complete but should result in the school getting funding for help and depending on needs her getting assigned an assistant on a one to one basis.

Also see if there's a Parent Partnership Service in your area as they're there to support parents of children with special educational needs and can help fight your corner with the authorities as well as representing you at assessment panels.
http://www.parentpartnership.org.uk/
Don't know if you've tried it yet but we're giving our son a herbal medicine which has helped no end. It's blackcurrant and we just mix half a tablespoon full twice a day in with his juice. It's made by Foodscience of Vermont and is called Behaviour Balance - DMG available from http://www.victoriahealth.com . It's highly recommended by the National Autistic Society and what it does is relax them and makes situations less stressful for them but doesn't make them feel dopey or anything. It's basically a mix of vitamins and minerals which have been found to help autism. We noticed that DS has become more sociable and that instead of getting worked up more and more in certain situations, he gets to a level then manages to calm himself down. It's not cheap at £18 a pop for 24 days worth but the effects are noticable in a week.

Some links:
http://www.autism-forum.co.uk/
http://www.autism-awareness.org.uk/index.asp
http://www.paains.org.uk/

lil_me

I've used www.asd-forum.org.uk before aswell. NAS website may have a local support group on also. Covering everything is pointless in one message on here when there are specialist forums.

You're not entitled to things based on her diagnosis, but based on her needs. If she has care and mobility needs you may be entitled to DLA for her, noone can tell you how much to expect as that is up to the decision makers. If she's entitled you may be entitled to tax credits increase also. DLA for children is based on what support they need compared to a child without their disability of the same age.

Be careful and seek medical advice before self medicating, even herbal remedies. Please don't read someones good experience as a miracle cure as what works for some does not for others.

Good luck, there is a lot of information out there for people who have the internet.

northernrocknufc

Thank you.

U've helped me a great lot. I didnt know i could try to claim DLA. I will get on to that straight away. Im sure that if im struggling you's will all help me out again.

xx