claiming DLA but no doctor's reports

GlasweJen

I'd recommend asking for continence service to come out and visit. You shouldn't be sending your daughters used pads to landfill. There are grants available in most areas that will get you a specialist mattress for her bed and there are also night time pants available that are loads better than the day ones and should make a huge difference to your daughter.

There are usually support groups for incontinent adults and it really helps self esteem to meet people of similar age with the same problem (I'm 25, had problems since I was about 21 but it's been progressively worsening so I started out with just occasional leaks, now I can't even feel that I need to go). The stuff you get is good, most people wouldn't know I'm wearing them and they fold quite small so with clever packing it just looks like I've got a normal sanitary towel in my bag (I learned the technique from a girl at the support group).

I think you need to be firm when asking for help, no you're not willing to be a slave to your washing machine, no you are not willing to pick up used continence wear from your garden if the bin gets blown over, yes you'd love to send your daughter to learn coping techniques because she deserves to be as independent as possible.

Btw OP, I don't for a second think you shouldn't claim DLA. Your daughter needs to be able to sign the form and she'll need a bank account too. I'd recommend taking her to Citizens Advice and asking them to help with the form.

24skins

Could you get copies of reports from the school's Psychologist (i'm assuming this is an Educational Psychologist rather than a Clinical Psych attached to the school?)?

I would always recommend sending in reports - as many as you can get your hands on - to support a DLA claim, but if you don't have any at all you can send in the form with details of any involved medical professionals and tick the box allowing the DWP to contact them (I'd always recommend this too). Since she's at school they may also contact the headteacher for further information on how her condition affects her from day-to-day.

I know a child with a similar bowel condition she is regularly 'cleared out' at the hospital in order to minimise soiling & time off school etc - is there any chance your daughter might be suitable/willing for this to happen?

jackieb

24skins wrote: »

Could you get copies of reports from the school's Psychologist (i'm assuming this is an Educational Psychologist rather than a Clinical Psych attached to the school?)?

I would always recommend sending in reports - as many as you can get your hands on - to support a DLA claim, but if you don't have any at all you can send in the form with details of any involved medical professionals and tick the box allowing the DWP to contact them (I'd always recommend this too). Since she's at school they may also contact the headteacher for further information on how her condition affects her from day-to-day.

I know a child with a similar bowel condition she is regularly 'cleared out' at the hospital in order to minimise soiling & time off school etc - is there any chance your daughter might be suitable/willing for this to happen?

Yes, she's an educational psychologist.

My daughter got a clearout in October. We usually do it at home. The one time she got it done in the hospital she got discharged the same day, and as the weather was bad we had to take the bus and she had an accident on the journey home - the smell was horrendous. I'm still angry about that one as there was no way she should've been discharged the same day. It's things like this that don't help her self-confidence.

24skins

jackieb wrote: »

Yes, she's an educational psychologist.

Ask for copies of any reports she holds on your daughter and send them in with her claim form.

My daughter got a clearout in October. We usually do it at home. The one time she got it done in the hospital she got discharged the same day, and as the weather was bad we had to take the bus and she had an accident on the journey home - the smell was horrendous. I'm still angry about that one as there was no way she should've been discharged the same day. It's things like this that don't help her self-confidence.

That's awful.

For what it's worth it does sound to me like she has care needs significant enough to entitle her to DLA and I second the advice already given about asking the CAB or DIAL for advice in filling out the form.

GlasweJen

That's horrendous jackie, I hope you complained!

It's not an easy topic to bring up when you're 16 but keep her in the loop and get her a support network of people going through the same thing if you can. The more secure she feels about it the more confident she'll become.

Errata

My daughter has been discharged from the psychologist now (and she's on maternity leave - she said she'd send me a report but hasn't,

It would be worth checking with your GP, they should have been sent a report.

jackieb

Errata wrote: »

It would be worth checking with your GP, they should have been sent a report.

I will, although she said she'd send us all a copy (me, the GP and the educational psychologist) and I think she'd have probably sent us all a copy at the same time?

jackieb

GlasweJen wrote: »

That's horrendous jackie, I hope you complained!

No, it was a few years ago but I wish I had.

I appreciate all of your replies. I'll take the advice on board. Thank you.

katiejohn

jackieb wrote: »

I'm considering applying for DLA for my daughter who has just turned 16. I've considered it before but my husband didn't want to claim for any benefits and he said he just wanted her to be better. But the situation has dragged on forever now. I do work but only relief as I can't do much hours as I have a lot to do with her. The thing is that even though she has a few problems we don't see any specialists or doctors - well not a lot anyway. I have no reports or anything that I could send in with a claim. My daughter had been seeing a psychologist for a couple of years and it was her who suggested testing her for Aspergers - and after a long series of tests my daughter was diagnosed with Aspergers (3 months ago since dx). My daughter has been discharged from the psychologist now (and she's on maternity leave - she said she'd send me a report but hasn't, and now she's off work) as she said she deals with young people with mental health problems (like anorexia, etc) and my daughter doesn't have them.

My daughter also has something called encoprisis, which is soiling caused by constipation. She's had this since she was a toddler. We have seen doctors about this but nothing very pro-active i'm afraid. Last appointment for that was in October 2011. She also wets the bed about 5 nights out of 7 on average. I have loads of washing. She has 3 duvets on rotation and they're usually all washed in the same week - as well as the other bedding and clothing, even though she wears pull-ups to sleep in (which are also expensive). We've tried without but it's far too messy. It's even messy with them. I have an expensive heavy duty mattress cover which the whole mattress zips into, but even that has been eaten away and her mattress now needs replacing.

She was born with an encephalocele (a bit like spina bifida but the opening is in the skull and the protruding sac contains some brain tissue), had this repaired and developed hydrocephalaus and she has a shunt in for this. It's been replaced twice - last time in 2007. This doesn't really affect her that much, but it has caused some motor difficulties - she can't tie shoelaces or hold a knife and fork properly. She also has some problems with co-ordination. When she was born we were told that the part of the brain which was affected might cause her some motor problems. She was admitted to hospital in March last year as she had a headache which had lasted for a couple of days - turned out just to be a migraine though. So the doctor is mindful that she has a shunt in.

She won't go out of the house unless I drag her out. Over Christmas she didn't go out of the door for 3 weeks! I take her to school, collect her at lunchtime, take her back and pick her up after school again. When I pick her up she won't budge from the lampost she stands next to! I've tried parking down a bit so she has to walk a bit but she just won't move. I've been given permission to drive into the school grounds to pick her up - the school suggested it as she was getting upset having to go out the other way.

I don't know if i'd stand a chance though as when I read about people claiming DLA, a lot of them have reports from doctors, and we don't. The psychologist said we've managed to cope very well on our own. Don't know if this'll scupper any chance of getting DLA though. Maybe I should've complained more but we've always just got on with it. But it is expensive, and the money would help out, especially taking her out. She loves the cinema and that's about the only time she's willing to leave the house - but it's so far away it costs about £50 each time we go! She's also soon to start a self-help group for girls with Aspergers, and that's a 90 mile round trip, every week.

My son had problems with Soiling and as like u i had washing and dirty laundry from him and the whole thing takes it out of a family becos the child looks fine anyway like u he had my hospital appointments which they just asked question tried more meds. After a good few yrs of this my husband and i wanted something more to happen and we told them my son was going to a middle school and how this was effecting his schooling. His doctor fitted him with something called a Cecostomy tube which we controlled the soiling and it help the whole family, there is also something the same called a ACE. Like i say once this was fitted and it came under the care of the stoma nurse at my local hospital,she was the one that told me we cud get DLA she told me what forms there was to fill in and on them i only needed to put down my sons doctor and Hospital he was under and how long i helped in the day. In what i have read in yr thread yr daughter needs more understanding and help than my son did so i am guessing she wud get more money. my son go £19.00 a week which was the lower rate. There is charities that will help u buy things like a washer or dryer the things that help u deal with the day to day care of yr daughter. I do hope u get somewhere and yr daughter gets help with the soiling as what my son got fitted it changed his life and the family. Feel free to contact me about it. Good luck

GlasweJen

The charity that gives disabled kids help doesn't help disabled adults. Also as the OPs daughter is 16 she has a whole different set of hoops to fill in, adults with stomas are expected to manage their own care unless another condition prevents this.

You'll find your sons help will mostly vanish when he hits magic 16 which is horrendous but no one really gives a monkeys about disabled adults these days.