DLA for Autistic son

jodie

I was wondering if it was possible to get DLA for my son who is thought to be autistic, he is being tested but it takes forever.

If he is autistic I have been told I can get DLA and various other "handouts". He would be on the mild end of the scale and is "normal" school.

He tends to have panic attacks when we are out and I was told by a doctor there is a chance we could get a car from the DSS, does anyone know if this is true?

Thanks in advance

danio_2

To get a Motability car you need to be on the higher rate Mobility component of DLA, The criteria for higher rate mobility is

you are unable or virtually unable to walk, or you have no feet or legs,
or
you are both 100% blind and 80% deaf and you need someone with you when you are out of doors,
or
you are severely mentally impaired with severe behavioural problems and qualify for the highest rate of care component,
or
the effort of walking could threaten your life or seriously affect your health, or
you need guidance and/or supervision from another person when walking out of doors in unfamiliar places


This isn't free though, you will need to use the high rate mobility component (roughly £50/week) to pay for it.



If you do get DLA care component i think it will be at the Lower or middle rate (Going off what you say about your son being at the mild end)

If you get Middle or High rate care, then you may be entitled to carers allowance, You won't be entitled with the lower rate care tho.

There is a better explanation of it all here http://www.direct.gov.uk/DisabledPeople/

Ted_Hutchinson

this Site sets out the criteria for getting Mobility Component for Autism. You will see that it really only applies to those with the more extreme levels of autism. However the responsibility for the decision lies with the Decision Maker and there is no harm, apart from the stress/time involved in your putting a claim in.
I personally think the fee for Benefitsandwork dla claims guide is a good investment as it is up to date and makes a claim much easier. Although you may find the copy here perfectly adequate.
http://www.cerebra.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/D7A27785-152F-4993-88AA-47C09FD60C78/0/DLAguide.pdf

jodie

Oh wow thats great help, thank you very much guys

lil_me

I help run a support group. Very rarely members receive higher rate mobility DLA, as in 2 of 800+ members that I know of have been able to and their children have severe Autism aswell as other motor difficulties. Your doctor was wrong to say what he has IMO, yes he can recommend to apply if he believes your son would qualify and it would increase his qualify but to comment on rates etc seems just 'wrong' to me.

Also diagnosis doesn't guarantee DLA payments, you don't have to have a diagnosis to claim either. It goes off need not what the diagnosis is.

Contact them to get the paperwork, usually takes a long time to get a decision anyway. Usually helpful to get names and addresses of medical proffesionals he sees in advance as they contact these usually and need to be stated on the form.

D&DD

Hi Jodie the road to a proper diagnosis is sometimes a long,emotional and exhausting one..it took us nearly 5 years.I didn't know we could get financial help either until someone at school casually asked me 'you do get dla don't you?' It was the first I'd even heard about it!! I sent in our forms with every medical assessment I had to date,at the time these were from Paeds,speech therapy,ed psych etc and we got an award first time I nearly fainted.It meant such a difference to our sons life,this was without 'the' diagnosis so do claim now and just update them everytime you get a new report or diagnosis.Our children are so very special and there are many support groups out there to help you if that is his diagnosis.You will go through a range of emotions but there will come a time when you feel at peace with the hand you've been dealt and move on..the National Autistic Society are wonderful as are a lot of the online forums for parents with AS kids and wonderful volunteers like lil_me are a godsend..:T THANKYOU!!!!!!!!!!
DO read and learn as much as you can..I can spot a newspaper article on autism now at 50 paces :rotfl: Our kids are wonderful,unique individuals best of luck to you all XX

Penelope_Penguin

Hi, Jodie, as has already been mentioned, DLA relates to your son's needs, not his diagnosis. A colleague of mine successfully claimed on behalf of a child with moderate autism. You might want to ask for assistance before submitting your form, from someone with experience. I'm with CAB, and we have specialist Disability Rights workers, who give loads of really useful advice.

You may not succeed first time, but statistics show that many decisions are overturned at appeal - don't give up!

Best of luck, Penny. x

Cazzywazzywoo

I think it is worth putting in a claim like the others have said, but I think it is always much easier once you get the diagnosis.
My autistic son appears to be one of the very few to higher rate for both mobility and personal care -but then he cannot talk, has very little understanding, wears nappies, absolutely no awareness of danger and has hundreds of obsessive and repetitive behaviours! Good luck -Cazzy