is it a disability?

Bea89

my daughter (20 months) has had fits , some times as much as every day since the 12th of december 2009.

She goes throw 'phases' where some days she has none and then she will have a big bulk of them.

Shes had an MRI , has an EEG on the 2nd Feb and a consultant appointment on the 24th Feb.

Its not diagnosed yet but myself and my family feel its a type of epilepsy.

Iv been told i can claim DLA for her because she requires more care than a normal child her age , she cant be left alone ect .

Can some one tell me if this is true? Im assuing i have to wait for a diagonsis first.

Im not sure if it would be classed as a serious enough of a disability , or if it is a disability , im not undermining people with epilepsy but i suppose as shes my child and iv got used to dealing with her fits , it feels.....some what normal and part of our daily life It does affect her and me quite a bit really. I dont know , im not making much sense. As you can probably understand its a distressing time right now.

Any info would be great!

Indie_Kid

The definition of disability is "a physical or mental impairment that affects one's ability to do day-to-day activities".

You can claim DLA if your daughter does have more care needs than someone her own age. The diagnosis is irrelevant. I claim DLA and am still waiting for a diagnosis for one of my problems.

[Deleted User]

You should claim as she will need more care and attention than another child her age without the seizures. If it is a defined disability is irrelevant.

If you are going to apply I'd suggest requesting the booklet from here, this is great for understanding and describing needs for children with Neuro conditions http://www.cerebra.org.uk/parent_support/DLA_guide and get the CAB or similar to help you with the forms.

[Deleted User]

a definite yes to dla,although you have to wait until she has had the problems for 3 months and is expected to have them at least for another 6.A diagnosis isnt a must but does help,however dla is about the care and/or mobility needs not the condition,have a look at the NSE website and the forum(all free and very helpful)
http://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/Homepage

Invasion

You say she requires more help than any other 20 month old because she "can't be left alone"... Nor can any other 20 month old child. I think you'd struggle to get DLA for supervision as all 20 month old children need constant supervision.

[Deleted User]

Invasion wrote: »

You say she requires more help than any other 20 month old because she "can't be left alone"... Nor can any other 20 month old child. I think you'd struggle to get DLA for supervision as all 20 month old children need constant supervision.

hate to be morbid but they dont all have the risk of SUDEP(sudden death in epilepsy),something that happens all to often i`m afraid.

sandy71

woodbine wrote: »

hate to be morbid but they dont all have the risk of SUDEP(sudden death in epilepsy),something that happens all to often i`m afraid.

Sadly you are too right, I know 2 people it has happened to and it is always in the back of my mind.
As long as your house is childproofed you could pop into another room an leave a 20 month old for a few minutes. That is harder with a child with epilepsy. I currently have a spectacular black eye and whiplash after falling during a seizure. I hate to think of something like that happening to a baby.

Indie_Kid

Invasion wrote: »

You say she requires more help than any other 20 month old because she "can't be left alone"... Nor can any other 20 month old child. I think you'd struggle to get DLA for supervision as all 20 month old children need constant supervision.

But would they need supervision at night? I mean supervision; not help with toileting.

sandy71

sh1305 wrote: »

But would they need supervision at night? I mean supervision; not help with toileting.

It depends on what type of seizures she has, if she has nocturnal ones then yes. You can get alarms that go in the bed or cot that will alert you to a seizure, not sure how good they are.