Claiming DLA for the first time

fortylittletoes

Hi!

I have an 8 year old who has adhd and autism (although they seem to add a new thing at every appointment !)
Until 2 years ago both DH and I worked full time in a business we started but as school and childcare became impossible for our daughter it ended up with me at home full time. She is now homeschooled as school was a total nightmare for her and they just couldn’t cope with her.

We have older children who have minor issues such such as adhd and dyspraxia (which we are told is the same family of issues and autism) but it is only our 8 year old who needs this kind of constant care.

We have never claimed DLA before but from reading about it it seems that she may qualify?

She obviously needs constant care during the day and she in incontinent at night as well as sometimes during the day. So needs pads and nappies etc as well as many many bed changes!

Has anybody successfully claimed DLA for a child with this sort of condition?

To clarify she is able to walk , talk, read and write but has limited self care ability and can be impulsive and violent. If I had to generally she acts as you wouldn’t expect a toddler to act.

I have reports to send of from speech therapy which state how we were evicted from our last hosue as our landlord did not want her there (we had to replace the carpet in her room as she had damaged it and the landlord evicted us in case if more damage).

It also states that she cannot complete small tasks without constant prompting and help from both me and the therapist.

We have no reports from peadiatricians etc as they just haven’t sent us written reports.

I am really unsure if we can claim and if we do what level we would qualify for.

To be honest I was just hoping for peoples experiences! This is all new to us and a bit scary to call her “disabled”. When we have avoided that so much before with both her and our other kids.

NeilCr

Some good information here

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/disability-living-allowance/

You can definitely get DLA for a child with ADHD. I've helped people with the forms including one mother with three kids with ADHD. She got it for all of them

Obviously, each case is different but it sounds like you may well have a good case. Could well be worth getting help from your local CAB/advice centre with the forms.

kingfisherblue

To receive DLA for a child, you need to show that her care needs are greater than those of another child of the same age. You can ask the paediatrician's secretary to copy you in for any letters, and the same for any other specialist that she sees. You can also ask your GP for a referral to the continence nurse, who can arrange for pads to be delivered (although it is a limited amount).

The form looks scary, but please don't be put off by it. I take each page, and write my answer on a separate sheet. I then go back to it (or you could get your partner to see if there is anything to add), before writing my final answer onto the form. When you do things automatically for your child, it is easy to forget to write them down.

Remember that the DWP do not know your child. This is your opportunity to tell them about her, so don't be afraid of giving details. So, for example, you mention that your daughter is incontinent at night and sometimes during the day. The form asks for daytime needs, and asks separately about night time needs. You might write something like this:

Flossie is bladder incontinent at night. Despite wearing pads designed for this, she wakes up wet most nights, and has to be changed. Flossie also has a continence sheet on her bed, which is changed whenever she has a leakage overnight. Most children of this age do not need to wear continence pads, nor do they usually need changing overnight. Flossie also needs to be changed when this happens. This can be distressing for her, as she is tired and wants to sleep. However, because of the disturbance and discomfort, she sometimes cannot settle easily afterwards, and needs reassuring. Most children of this age can settle themselves back to sleep if they wake in the night, but Flossie struggles with this.

On the continence issue, you may want to consider buying continence sheets. These are used in addition to normal sheets, and can be placed on top or underneath the regular sheet. I personally place them on top - if there is a leakage, it is easier to whip off the continence sheet and replace it in a matter of seconds, rather than changing a full bed sheet. Fledglings have good quality continence sheets.