New DLA Claim for a child with Autism

Mel9079

Hi all,

After some advice really, my son is 10 now and but when he was 6 the teachers picked up that they thought he had Asperger Syndrome. It has taken years of battling before we had it confirmed. I applied for DLA bennifits as i was off work for 18months to look after him but it was declined. He has been re tested about three weeks ago now and has a Diagnosis of ASD full Autism Syndrom Disorder. I have applied for an application form again but worried they will turn it donw again. They said last time becuase he could walk and wipe his own bum he wasn't eligible... lol i would love for them to see how much hard work it is for a single parent with a child with difficulties. Anyway.... is there anything i should be highlighting to get this application on the right track?

Thanks in advance, a very tired and broke single mum .x

DorsetGirl_2

Mel9079 wrote: »

Hi all,

After some advice really, my son is 10 now and but when he was 6 the teachers picked up that they thought he had Asperger Syndrome. It has taken years of battling before we had it confirmed. I applied for DLA bennifits as i was off work for 18months to look after him but it was declined. He has been re tested about three weeks ago now and has a Diagnosis of ASD full Autism Syndrom Disorder. I have applied for an application form again but worried they will turn it donw again. They said last time becuase he could walk and wipe his own bum he wasn't eligible... lol i would love for them to see how much hard work it is for a single parent with a child with difficulties. Anyway.... is there anything i should be highlighting to get this application on the right track?

Thanks in advance, a very tired and broke single mum .x

Did they really say that???

When you fill out the form, it will be judged on whether your child has more care needs than a child his own age, so what can he do that another 10 year old cant do? What does his disability cost you in money terms (does he have a special diet, do you need to replace things often because he breaks them?)

You need to fill it out as if you are talking about his worst day ever, so if some days he wont go to school without a fight, and some days he wets the bed at night, put these both down, even if they dont happen every day.

Just so you know, Aspergers is a form of Autism, at the high functioning end of the spectrum. I have one son with Aspergers (who is also 10) and a 4 year old with 'classic' autism. I only get DLA for my second son.

JimmyTheWig

To qualify at all you need to spend an hour a day caring for your son over and above the care that you would give a typical 10 year old.
So if, for example, his friends walk to school on his own but you have to take your son, put that down. Or if it takes 10 minutes each day to get him to come to the dinner table then put that down.

You will need to get a professional report to back up what you're claiming for. Just saying that he has ASD isn't enough. It needs to agree with what you've written.

I'd suggest you keep a diary for a week. Every time you have to do something for/with your son that a typical 10 year old wouldn't need, make a note of it.
Get a professional (e.g. SENCo at school) to sign this to say that they think it is a true week for your son. Send that with your form.

DorsetGirl_2

We normally use 'NT', which stands for Neuro Typical .

Are the school being helpful? If he struggles with his behaviour at school you could put down the school SENCo on the form as your other people they can contact. Do you have any reports from Paeds/OT/SALT/Physio/Portage that you can send with your claim?

chivers1977

Use [[http://www.cerebra.org.uk/English/getinformation/publications/Pages/DLAGuide.aspx this together with any reports etc that you have. It really does help you to think of all of the extra things that you do for your son that an NT child would not need doing at their age. You probably do a lot of things without realising that you do.

Anubis_2

Mel9079 wrote: »

Hi all,

After some advice really, my son is 10 now and but when he was 6 the teachers picked up that they thought he had Asperger Syndrome. It has taken years of battling before we had it confirmed. I applied for DLA bennifits as i was off work for 18months to look after him but it was declined. He has been re tested about three weeks ago now and has a Diagnosis of ASD full Autism Syndrom Disorder. I have applied for an application form again but worried they will turn it donw again. They said last time becuase he could walk and wipe his own bum he wasn't eligible... lol i would love for them to see how much hard work it is for a single parent with a child with difficulties. Anyway.... is there anything i should be highlighting to get this application on the right track?

Thanks in advance, a very tired and broke single mum .x

Start a daily diary now. Write down everything you need to do to ensure he is cared for and safe. Everything! Even if, it is as one poster states, that he breaks things and you have to replace them.

Encouraging to eat, drink etc - anything at all that you have to do put it down in the diary - you will probably be surprised.

Mel9079

Thanks so much for the advice guys x I will start the diary today, its funny thinking about the way you all say but i forget alot of the things i do for him are not normaly required for your average 10yr old.

Perfect example, just been shopping for a suit for a wedding for him and he rufuses to try it on till ive washed it in our own particular washing powder....also he wont go to the toilet alone we have to que for disabled ones or i take him into the ladies and hope its empty. The simple thing eh.

We still have a lot of issue with night terrors and the violence is getting terrible and its a real struggle. Ive had to go collect him from school day before the broke up as he was out of control and beat up a young girl and the teachers aren't allowed to restrain. It was all the nioses that set him off. but the school are fantastic with him and he has a key worker and SENco who he loves. I also have all paperwork, proof of appointments 3Di assessment reviews, personall statements, common assessments from both his schools and all CAMHS referals and assessment paperwork also.

He is funny with food also, wont eat wet with dry or anything fried or remotely fatty. eats the sleaves of his clothes also which costs me a fortune.

This is just a handful of things.....it helps to know that others have experiences in this too and im not alone. It can be very isolating, so thank you

Hammyman

I was just going to mention that you should put down that you have to buy specific food for him, cook it seperately and use special plates with "compartments" for different foods.

When it comes to mobility, state that he cannot go out alone as he has no comprehension of danger and is unable to cross the street unaided as he doesn't recognise the risk. Also point out that if he is triggered, he will just run in any direction without any thought for his safety and that includes straight out into the road.

I recognise all of your post. I suggest you get over to the National Autistic Society forums on their website and ask there. There are people who do a great job of helping you fill in the DLA forms.

I would like to recommend you try Behavior Balance DMG from Victoriahealth.com as recommended by many people on the NAS forums. It works for about 50% of autistic children who try it. It calms them down and helps them cope with the world better but isn't an anaesthetic type drug - read up about dimethylglycene and Vitamin B deficiencies in autistic children . Buy just the one bottle for now. If you don't notice a difference in the first week, then don't continue as it won't be beneficial. Don't tell the school you are giving him it at first - the key worker will most likely notice the difference and tell you there has been an improvement if there is - it is very noticable if it does work.

KevinG

My son with Asperger's is now 31, lives largely independently and is in full-time employment. He has been receiving DLA since he was a teenager and there has never been any attempt to take it away.

kingfisherblue

DorsetGirl wrote: »

Did they really say that???

When you fill out the form, it will be judged on whether your child has more care needs than a child his own age, so what can he do that another 10 year old cant do? What does his disability cost you in money terms (does he have a special diet, do you need to replace things often because he breaks them?)

You need to fill it out as if you are talking about his worst day ever, so if some days he wont go to school without a fight, and some days he wets the bed at night, put these both down, even if they dont happen every day.

Just so you know, Aspergers is a form of Autism, at the high functioning end of the spectrum. I have one son with Aspergers (who is also 10) and a 4 year old with 'classic' autism. I only get DLA for my second son.

Please do not do as this poster advises. This is fraud. You should put down the details for an average day and add 'On worse days.... which happen this often.....'

If you treat every day as if it is his worst day, you are lying and can be prosecuted. If you are keeping a diary (which is a very good idea), then this will prove that you are not being honest on the forms, if the forms are filled out with worst days only. In addition, if consultant's letters are asked for, they will not back you up.

When keeping your diary, remember too write down how long things take to do. I think this is the hardest part of the form and I know many parents struggle with timings. I usually end up putting 'between X and Y minutes, depending on child's co-operation etc.'

When you fill in the form, be sure to make comparisons to other children of the same age and give examples. From your posts, you could, for example, write that although other 10 year old boys can go into a public toilet on their own while you wait outside, this is not possible for your son because he becomes anxious (or whatever the reason is), and you have to take him into a disabled toilet where available, or into the ladies if no disabled toilet is available.

Mention comparisons whenevver it is appropriate, not just once on the form.

Good luck x

julie03

get some help filling in the form , cab provide this service and i ve heard the autistic society do as well, my son has aspergers and dyspraxia and we only applied once with help from cab and was awarded low rate mobility and mid rate care