Claiming DLA for child with ADHD

cheekipixi

Cerebra.co.uk this is where I found the booklet of how to fill in the DLA form for a child under 16yrs.

The DLA application form asks about people who know the child, this gives THEM an option as to whether request info from these people, I provided everything, they didnt have an option then, they had to look at it. Things like, copy of perscriptions,psychiatrist letter to Dr re perscriptions, copies of any exclusions, copy of SEN, school reports, letters from friends, family, dr's, any other person sees, family support worker, any reports etc you can never put too much in that gives a clear view of how your child is.

I suffer with depression myself and believe me just because I look 'normal' doesn't mean I am, my life is a world wind of problems, things could not get any blacker, this is probably 80% of the time, the other 20% is strange, no the norm. It does effect my daily living, where I cannot go out alone as I get major panic attacks. It takes a couple of hours to pluck up the courage to go out with someone else and that is to the local shop. My shopping I do late at night 1-2am when it is the quietest, I dont sleep for days then I can sleep for days, I become over protective of my children, I suddenly burst into tears, confusing and worryin g everyone, I have suicdal thoughts, I am manic but also very lethargic, I have no confidence and have a very low opinion of myself and I would NOT wish my life on my worst enemy.

Depression is a disability and is equally as important as any other disability.

pinkcandyflossprincess

my son has adhd and tourettes, this has only just been found out, hes 15:eek: i had allways suspected he had adhd as my brother has it and he is exactly the same as my son . I cant say hes naughty, he just lives in a world of his own and needs contant nagging to do or remember anything. thankfully the tourettes isnt full blown either so no shouting swear words! its more body and facial tics and repeating noises, phrases etc..i hae to admit its hard going though
does claiming dla help..im confused really as how does it make life better..the only use i think for me would be for paying for the stuff he mysteriously breaks in the middle of the night:eek:
the school here has been useless tbh, they are slowly beginning to understand but they only act upon doctors letters so i supect you do need that school support for a claim..

NoBS_2

I think Lolly1981 hit on a very important point which has really had a devastating impact on how ADHD is viewed by the general public.

I have significant experience with this but back in my day you were 'hyperactive'!! We went through it all with my brother- mental hospitals, him being taken away during the night, interviews behing glass windows with cameras, microphones, the works. I hate having lived with it for over nineteen years, it is as posters say extremely destructive on a family.

However, what I do notice having had real experience with it, is how quickly you can spot a possible cause with some children. I've come across some children over the years I've seen it with - I was gobsmacked to see a mother bawling and swearing at her five year old boy in a playground full of other children and parents, then I spotted her dragging the kid almost whilst ranting and raving at him swearing loudly and using quite manipualative language - and she continually wondered aloud why the boy had such bad mental health issues if this is what she did when we could see her!!


It was no secret this child was having DLA claimed for his ADHD. Now I know that this is not a lone case and that yes the child did need the help as did have genuine issues. But this is why the illness gets such a bad name, because of the people who do claim it because they can't handle their kids whilst all the genuine families out there with real and very scary situations facing them every day just get tarred with the same brush.

cheekipixi

All illnessess warrant help and support from where ever it can be sought, if not via the NHS then through a private source. Help such as therapy if from the NHS has to be referred, private therapy however can be so very expensive even though it may be desperately needed, such as CBT, however, dealing with ADHD is extremely difficult as is trying to access services for the suffers of this illness. ADHD does not just effect the individual, it effects everyone, the sufferer, the family, neighbours, school, friends, proffessionals, over such a long period. Any help, however small, is help, if the DLA helps towards after school activities, helps towards petrol when the suffer decides to wander off in a community that is so cruel and needs to be found for their own safety, it may help to replace broken items such as cookers, furniture, self esteem and confidence. Diagnosing ADHD is a lengthy process, it took 4yrs of continual assessments, looking at the whole family, in the process, I lost all of my friends, most of my family, neighbours turned against us etc family therapy at this time would have been a great help, so as a family we could all understand what was actually happening to our once peaceful household and be guided through this suddenly chaotic lifestyle that had we had no idea of how to deal with. This is a service that has to be referred by a proffessional, this is virtually impossible to access through the NHS, and is far to expensive to have privately, this however could mean the difference between the sufferer having some sort of decent future or whether the sufferer has a life on the wrong side of the law, costing this country millions because of court cases and even prison etc. The whole process of ADHD is so hard to deal with, everything with it is a struggle and that little 'extra' can mean so much to a family dealing with ADHD.

tori.k

cheekipixi wrote: »

All illnessess warrant help and support from where ever it can be sought, if not via the NHS then through a private source. Help such as therapy if from the NHS has to be referred, private therapy however can be so very expensive even though it may be desperately needed, such as CBT, however, dealing with ADHD is extremely difficult as is trying to access services for the suffers of this illness. ADHD does not just effect the individual, it effects everyone, the sufferer, the family, neighbours, school, friends, proffessionals, over such a long period. Any help, however small, is help, if the DLA helps towards after school activities, helps towards petrol when the suffer decides to wander off in a community that is so cruel and needs to be found for their own safety, it may help to replace broken items such as cookers, furniture, self esteem and confidence. Diagnosing ADHD is a lengthy process, it took 4yrs of continual assessments, looking at the whole family, in the process, I lost all of my friends, most of my family, neighbours turned against us etc family therapy at this time would have been a great help, so as a family we could all understand what was actually happening to our once peaceful household and be guided through this suddenly chaotic lifestyle that had we had no idea of how to deal with. This is a service that has to be referred by a proffessional, this is virtually impossible to access through the NHS, and is far to expensive to have privately, this however could mean the difference between the sufferer having some sort of decent future or whether the sufferer has a life on the wrong side of the law, costing this country millions because of court cases and even prison etc. The whole process of ADHD is so hard to deal with, everything with it is a struggle and that little 'extra' can mean so much to a family dealing with ADHD.

But ADHD is a behavioural disorder sometimes linked to Learning disabilities (high or low fuctioning) It is not an illness, These kids see life thru different eyes and some have a very black and white take on life, putting them thru the process to claim DLA (unless there are severe learning disability) does more harm then good in my eyes your just reinforcing the idea that they are ill not different.
I can inmagine it would be most confusing for a child to grow up being told there ill their whole life just to find once they become an adult things like ADHD aren't considered really an issue and the'd better man up. DLA money given to children with ADHD and high function spectrum disorders would be better spent putting a qualified child psychologist in school's offering coping methods then given to parent's because junior is unable to control his emotions and tossed his telly down the stairs, sometimes as parent's that is our issue to suck up.

2ADHDchildren

Well said SavageVixen! I am shocked at some of the deflective comments I have seen on here about ADHD! Unbelievable! I have two children diagnosed with ADHD and are currently on medication to alleviate the symptoms! My son is highly intelligent, a straight A student when he takes his medication! My daughter's grades came up a whole grade level after she started on her medication! The medication doesn't make them smarter, it helps to stop their mind form "spinning" so they can "focus" on what needs to done! I have spent countless hours with each of my children, helping them, guiding them and trying to teach them! ADHD is genetic, not an excuse for bad parenting! The right Doctor know's how to tell the difference! The fact that someone mentions people with asthma and depression getting DLA was not in any way demeaning those conditions, and this is an ADHD forum! We're not talking about asthma or depression, I am sure if you googled asthma or depression it would take you to a forum for that! I know how deadly asthma can be as my mother has COPD and has had asthma my whole life! But these women are asking about ADHD! If you don't have any helpful information on ADHD then don't post because you're not helping! You are just lashing out at innocent people whom (whether you believe in ADHD or not) are living their own private hell!

2ADHDchildren

tori.k wrote: »

But ADHD is a behavioural disorder sometimes linked to Learning disabilities (high or low fuctioning) It is not an illness, These kids see life thru different eyes and some have a very black and white take on life, putting them thru the process to claim DLA (unless there are severe learning disability) does more harm then good in my eyes your just reinforcing the idea that they are ill not different.
I can inmagine it would be most confusing for a child to grow up being told there ill their whole life just to find once they become an adult things like ADHD aren't considered really an issue and the'd better man up. DLA money given to children with ADHD and high function spectrum disorders would be better spent putting a qualified child psychologist in school's offering coping methods then given to parent's because junior is unable to control his emotions and tossed his telly down the stairs, sometimes as parent's that is our issue to suck up.

ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder of childhood. It affects about 3 - 5% of school aged children. ADHD is diagnosed much more often in boys than in girls.

ADHD may run in families, but it is not clear exactly what causes it. Whatever the cause may be, it seems to be set in motion early in life as the brain is developing. Imaging studies suggest that the brains of children with ADHD are different from those of other children.

Depression, lack of sleep, learning disabilities, tic disorders, and behavior problems may be confused with, or appear with, ADHD. Every child suspected of having ADHD should be carefully examined by a doctor to rule out possible other conditions or reasons for the behavior.

Most children with ADHD also have at least one other developmental or behavioral problem. They may also have a psychiatric problem, such as depression or bipolar disorder.

2ADHDchildren

ADHD is a long-term, chronic condition. If it is not treated appropriately, ADHD may lead to:

Drug and alcohol abuse

Failure in school

Problems keeping a job

Trouble with the law

About half of children with ADHD will continue to have troublesome symptoms of inattention or impulsivity as adults. However, adults are often more capable of controlling behavior and masking difficulties. It is a long term "disability" that affects their family just as much as someone who is suffering from depression. Stop trying to play it down! If you have never lived even one day with a child with severe ADHD then you have no idea what you are talking about!

Jo-Jo-37

I get really angry by this, both my son's have been diagnosed with ADHD, neither of them have behavior problems.
What they do have is no sense of danger and they can't concentrate, this makes life hard for all of us, firstly its really upsetting when you just can't listen although you are trying so hard, you go into your own little world, you then realize everyone else has listened and followed instructions but you still have no clue whats going on.
My oldest son is 16 years old, a lovely well mannered boy and too look at him you would have no idea he has any problems. But he doesnt see danger like everyone else and I still have to constantly check he isn't trying to set my house alight etc, when I point out what he has done he gets very frustrated as he knows these dangers only if he had time to think about them, but he doesn't think until after and then it is too late.
I claimed for DLA years ago and sometimes you don't realize how much it affects your and your child's life because we don't know any different, its only when I go to a friends house and see how they live.

I do also agree that unfortunately there are a few diagnoses out there which is just due to bad parenting and not in fact ADHD (thats what I beleive. Its these that give us all a bad name, I dont think people realize how much this ADHD can really affect lives.

It breaks my heart to know my children wont go on to university etc and they try so hard in school but unless you can concentrate your never going to learn.

Also it does not stop there, it leads to Anxiety, Depression etc.
I actually believe I have this myself and iv struggled through life, all I can do now is make sure my children don't struggle and make them be positive & we certainly don't let it beat us.

[Deleted User]

My daughter gets DLA for my Grandson who has complex needs , she had to appeal the rate and won the case so it is worth it and it does help make a difference

He has Autism , ADHD & Epilepsy related symptoms ( petit mals & myclonic jerks ) and it annoys me when people say it is just some new fangled made up illness for ''naughty children''

Attitudes like the above just do not help!!!

He has jumped straight into the deep end of the swimming pool & my daughter had to immediately rescue him of course even though it was an outdoor pool and she was fully clothed , he has run into the road and nearly been hit by a car and my daughter actually has nightmares about going to the train station & him running onto the tracks ( and it is one of my concerns too )

He has changed over the years eg when little he used to love the cinema , now he hates it & I had to take him out after 2 mins of the film as he was too distressed & I just about got him into the cinema in the first place! lol

He does love swimming though but not in a new building he is not used to , in fact he refuses to go pretty much anywhere now so we have decided to get him one of those buggys for older children mainly to keep him safe and he is nearly 6 now and getting too big for my daughter to carry which she DOES at times as she has to get him from A-B somehow..

So no disability is straightforward and if you see an older child in a buggy no it is NOT ''laziness'' but because of the needs of the child and it could actually save their life as well as keep them safe , much less distressed and the parent more sound in mind lol