PIP for ADHD - anxiety

Charles_Foxtrot

RoisinDubh_2 said:

Thanks for the advice.

Are they allowed to ask anything such as if you ever go on holiday? I do travel a bit (alone - I have no partner and no friends), and it's literally the only thing I do outside work right now. I save every single penny, and it's basically the only thing keeping me going. Are they allowed to ask me anything like this and use it against me? 

They can ask pretty much whatever they want - but if are going abroad and travelling alone, but at the same time you are trying to claim for problems with mobility as you say:

“ For example, if asked about making journeys, I make a point that planning the journey takes a long time for me, because I have to do detailed research on Maps and come up with back-up plans, then another point about the actual journey being difficult because I need to keep checking Maps as I can't hold directions in my head, or info like which station I'm going to, and another point about not being able to cope with a crowded train, so if it gets busy, I have to get off, etc.”

That is going to raise eyebrows. If you have such problems making journeys at home, but go off abroad on your own often, that doesn’t really jive.

Charles_Foxtrot

RoisinDubh_2 said:

I'm a bit confused about how a "paper based assessment" works. I'm already working myself up about a phone assessment and really struggled even on the phone call to get the form sent out. Has anyone had one and would I be very disadvantaged by asking for this?

I had paper based assessments both for ESA and PIP. I never asked for them. With (contribution based) ESA I just got a letter a month or two after I sent in my application placing me in the support group. 

With PIP, after sending them something like 300 pages of evidence, they called my main healthcare giver and had 30 minute chat with them. I was told I didn’t need to go to an assessment, and a month later got my enhanced PIP award.

Charles_Foxtrot

RoisinDubh_2 said:

This worries me as I do travel a bit - it's pretty much the only non-essential thing I do at the moment. I save every penny and spend months planning and then book at the last minute when I know I'm well enough (mentally) to handle it. I have special assistance at the airport and the gate such as priority boarding and sometimes someone walking me through security. I usually contact the arrival airport for anywhere outside Europe and ask about accessibility and what I can expect to be asked at immigration and how long I can expect the process to take, so I can mentally prepare. The airlines I fly with have me down as a disabled passenger and allow me to select seats free of charge that suit my disability (such as back of plane, quietest bit of plane, window seat). I sometimes get escorted through the Accessibility line by airport staff on arrival. So for me, it's not as simple as booking a flight and hopping on it, I have to jump through a lot of hoops, do weeks of mental prep and ask for a lot of support.

Something like travel is actually easier for me than going to an event locally or going to a party, as it's so predictable - I can put all these coping mechanisms into place and have a checklist of what to do and where to go. I cope much better when there are 'rules' and things are documented.

How should I address this? Should I word it as I have here? 

When you say you “travel a bit,” how often does that mean? How many trips per year, how long are the trips? Are they to unfamiliar countries and involve planning and moving around places you’ve never been to before?

you need to be prepared to discuss this, as it’s probable they will ask you about travel if you are trying to claim points for mobility about needing assistance to making journeys.

I get assistance moving through queues at the airport and seating requests approved, and like most people spend weeks of planning to take a trip…but no mobility awarded for PIP. Then again I never claimed for that or would be entitled for it.

RoisinDubh_2

Charles_Foxtrot said:

RoisinDubh_2 said:

Thanks for the advice.

Are they allowed to ask anything such as if you ever go on holiday? I do travel a bit (alone - I have no partner and no friends), and it's literally the only thing I do outside work right now. I save every single penny, and it's basically the only thing keeping me going. Are they allowed to ask me anything like this and use it against me? 

They can ask pretty much whatever they want - but if are going abroad and travelling alone, but at the same time you are trying to claim for problems with mobility as you say:

“ For example, if asked about making journeys, I make a point that planning the journey takes a long time for me, because I have to do detailed research on Maps and come up with back-up plans, then another point about the actual journey being difficult because I need to keep checking Maps as I can't hold directions in my head, or info like which station I'm going to, and another point about not being able to cope with a crowded train, so if it gets busy, I have to get off, etc.”

That is going to raise eyebrows. If you have such problems making journeys at home, but go off abroad on your own often, that doesn’t really jive.

I didn't say "often". I said occasionally.

As I said, I need to prepare a LOT to make journeys. Whether that's a holiday in Spain or going across the city to an appointment, there's a level of preparation way above what a 'normal' person would have to do, and that's why I'm virtually a hermit. There's a huge difference between being able to go on a week-long holiday you've spent months preparing for, and regularly being able to use public transport to go to different places. 

RoisinDubh_2

Charles_Foxtrot said:

RoisinDubh_2 said:

This worries me as I do travel a bit - it's pretty much the only non-essential thing I do at the moment. I save every penny and spend months planning and then book at the last minute when I know I'm well enough (mentally) to handle it. I have special assistance at the airport and the gate such as priority boarding and sometimes someone walking me through security. I usually contact the arrival airport for anywhere outside Europe and ask about accessibility and what I can expect to be asked at immigration and how long I can expect the process to take, so I can mentally prepare. The airlines I fly with have me down as a disabled passenger and allow me to select seats free of charge that suit my disability (such as back of plane, quietest bit of plane, window seat). I sometimes get escorted through the Accessibility line by airport staff on arrival. So for me, it's not as simple as booking a flight and hopping on it, I have to jump through a lot of hoops, do weeks of mental prep and ask for a lot of support.

Something like travel is actually easier for me than going to an event locally or going to a party, as it's so predictable - I can put all these coping mechanisms into place and have a checklist of what to do and where to go. I cope much better when there are 'rules' and things are documented.

How should I address this? Should I word it as I have here? 

When you say you “travel a bit,” how often does that mean? How many trips per year, how long are the trips? Are they to unfamiliar countries and involve planning and moving around places you’ve never been to before?

you need to be prepared to discuss this, as it’s probable they will ask you about travel if you are trying to claim points for mobility about needing assistance to making journeys.

I get assistance moving through queues at the airport and seating requests approved, and like most people spend weeks of planning to take a trip…but no mobility awarded for PIP. Then again I never claimed for that or would be entitled for it.

I'm prepared to answer them, but I don't see how there's a contradiction. I'm not saying I can't make journeys, I'm saying it requires a level of preparation, planning and contingency planning way beyond what most other people do. As far as I can see, PIP is largely about being able to do things regularly, reliably, in a timely manner, etc. If it takes me two hours to plan how to get across town, and I can't do it without orientation aids, backup plans, and I leave four hours to do do a journey most people could complete in one, then I'd argue that I'm not actually capable of doing these things reliably. A one-off international trip now then doesn't negate the daily struggles.

Most people absolutely do not spend "weeks of planning" working out the minute details of exactly where they're going to sit at the airport that's quiet enough not to trigger a meltdown, or spend weeks emailing back and forth to get the names of special assistance staff at the destination airport to make sure they can be guided through passport control or going through in their head what would happen if they were on the plane and someone asked to swap seats and how they'd respond and literally preparing a script in their head for how the conversation would go. They just book a flight and go to the airport and get on the plane. I'm not talking about planning the holiday, I'm talking about planning the journey. 

It seems like the mobility aspect is largely related to physical disabilities, so I'm not expecting to be awarded it, but I still filled it in honestly and described the many difficulties I have with making journeys. I don't understand why you didn't 'claim' for it - it's a part of the form you must have filled in, so why leave it blank?

RoisinDubh_2

Charles_Foxtrot said:

RoisinDubh_2 said:

I'm a bit confused about how a "paper based assessment" works. I'm already working myself up about a phone assessment and really struggled even on the phone call to get the form sent out. Has anyone had one and would I be very disadvantaged by asking for this?

I had paper based assessments both for ESA and PIP. I never asked for them. With (contribution based) ESA I just got a letter a month or two after I sent in my application placing me in the support group. 

With PIP, after sending them something like 300 pages of evidence, they called my main healthcare giver and had 30 minute chat with them. I was told I didn’t need to go to an assessment, and a month later got my enhanced PIP award.

What was the basis for your claim if you don't mind me asking? Was it mental health/developmental disability related like mine? 

Charles_Foxtrot

RoisinDubh_2 said:

Charles_Foxtrot said:

RoisinDubh_2 said:

I'm a bit confused about how a "paper based assessment" works. I'm already working myself up about a phone assessment and really struggled even on the phone call to get the form sent out. Has anyone had one and would I be very disadvantaged by asking for this?

I had paper based assessments both for ESA and PIP. I never asked for them. With (contribution based) ESA I just got a letter a month or two after I sent in my application placing me in the support group. 

With PIP, after sending them something like 300 pages of evidence, they called my main healthcare giver and had 30 minute chat with them. I was told I didn’t need to go to an assessment, and a month later got my enhanced PIP award.

What was the basis for your claim if you don't mind me asking? Was it mental health/developmental disability related like mine? 

It was for myriad mental health disabilities.

Charles_Foxtrot

RoisinDubh_2 said:

Charles_Foxtrot said:

RoisinDubh_2 said:

This worries me as I do travel a bit - it's pretty much the only non-essential thing I do at the moment. I save every penny and spend months planning and then book at the last minute when I know I'm well enough (mentally) to handle it. I have special assistance at the airport and the gate such as priority boarding and sometimes someone walking me through security. I usually contact the arrival airport for anywhere outside Europe and ask about accessibility and what I can expect to be asked at immigration and how long I can expect the process to take, so I can mentally prepare. The airlines I fly with have me down as a disabled passenger and allow me to select seats free of charge that suit my disability (such as back of plane, quietest bit of plane, window seat). I sometimes get escorted through the Accessibility line by airport staff on arrival. So for me, it's not as simple as booking a flight and hopping on it, I have to jump through a lot of hoops, do weeks of mental prep and ask for a lot of support.

Something like travel is actually easier for me than going to an event locally or going to a party, as it's so predictable - I can put all these coping mechanisms into place and have a checklist of what to do and where to go. I cope much better when there are 'rules' and things are documented.

How should I address this? Should I word it as I have here? 

When you say you “travel a bit,” how often does that mean? How many trips per year, how long are the trips? Are they to unfamiliar countries and involve planning and moving around places you’ve never been to before?

you need to be prepared to discuss this, as it’s probable they will ask you about travel if you are trying to claim points for mobility about needing assistance to making journeys.

I get assistance moving through queues at the airport and seating requests approved, and like most people spend weeks of planning to take a trip…but no mobility awarded for PIP. Then again I never claimed for that or would be entitled for it.

I'm prepared to answer them, but I don't see how there's a contradiction. I'm not saying I can't make journeys, I'm saying it requires a level of preparation, planning and contingency planning way beyond what most other people do. As far as I can see, PIP is largely about being able to do things regularly, reliably, in a timely manner, etc. If it takes me two hours to plan how to get across town, and I can't do it without orientation aids, backup plans, and I leave four hours to do do a journey most people could complete in one, then I'd argue that I'm not actually capable of doing these things reliably. A one-off international trip now then doesn't negate the daily struggles.

Most people absolutely do not spend "weeks of planning" working out the minute details of exactly where they're going to sit at the airport that's quiet enough not to trigger a meltdown, or spend weeks emailing back and forth to get the names of special assistance staff at the destination airport to make sure they can be guided through passport control or going through in their head what would happen if they were on the plane and someone asked to swap seats and how they'd respond and literally preparing a script in their head for how the conversation would go. They just book a flight and go to the airport and get on the plane. I'm not talking about planning the holiday, I'm talking about planning the journey. 

It seems like the mobility aspect is largely related to physical disabilities, so I'm not expecting to be awarded it, but I still filled it in honestly and described the many difficulties I have with making journeys. I don't understand why you didn't 'claim' for it - it's a part of the form you must have filled in, so why leave it blank?

RoisinDubh_2 said

When you say you “travel a bit,” how often does that mean? How many trips per year, how long are the trips? Are they to unfamiliar countries and involve planning and moving around places you’ve never been to before?

you need to be prepared to discuss this, as it’s probable they will ask you about travel if you are trying to claim points for mobility about needing assistance to making journeys.

I get assistance moving through queues at the airport and seating requests approved, and like most people spend weeks of planning to take a trip…but no mobility awarded for PIP. Then again I never claimed for that or would be entitled for it.

I'm prepared to answer them, but I don't see how there's a contradiction. I'm not saying I can't make journeys, I'm saying it requires a level of preparation, planning and contingency planning way beyond what most other people do. As far as I can see, PIP is largely about being able to do things regularly, reliably, in a timely manner, etc. If it takes me two hours to plan how to get across town, and I can't do it without orientation aids, backup plans, and I leave four hours to do do a journey most people could complete in one, then I'd argue that I'm not actually capable of doing these things reliably. A one-off international trip now then doesn't negate the daily struggles.

Most people absolutely do not spend "weeks of planning" working out the minute details of exactly where they're going to sit at the airport that's quiet enough not to trigger a meltdown, or spend weeks emailing back and forth to get the names of special assistance staff at the destination airport to make sure they can be guided through passport control or going through in their head what would happen if they were on the plane and someone asked to swap seats and how they'd respond and literally preparing a script in their head for how the conversation would go. They just book a flight and go to the airport and get on the plane. I'm not talking about planning the holiday, I'm talking about planning the journey. 

It seems like the mobility aspect is largely related to physical disabilities, so I'm not expecting to be awarded it, but I still filled it in honestly and described the many difficulties I have with making journeys. I don't understand why you didn't 'claim' for it - it's a part of the form you must have filled in, so why leave it blank?

It doesn’t matter how much planning you do to go abroad. I spend weeks over the course of months planning on how to get to obscure places, where rural bus routes go, interesting villages in remote areas, blah blah blah. None of that is relevant, But I suppose there’s a big difference between a package holiday to a resort in Spain vs independent travel in Tajikistan. The amount of planning people do for international travel is a huge grey area. Be prepared to explain why your level of planning is above and beyond what most people do. 

The point is, be prepared to be challenged on how you can independently and alone travel abroad without assistance. They may ask about it, they may not. The assessor will not care about how you can prepare where to be in an airport where it won’t trigger a “meltdown”. The fact that you can plan ahead for “meltdowns” may work against you. Assessors/DWP will look at the fact that you travel abroad, alone, and are able to do it. And if you can plan and go abroad alone, why can’t you do it on local trips at home via bus or taxi? If you’re able to plan around avoiding meltdowns and go abroad independently, why can’t you do it locally? I’m not judging what you can or cannot do, but these are things you may want to prepare to answer during an assessment. Believe me, if the subject comes up, it will be an issue.

Assessors take things far less complicated into account when assessing things. From experience from a family member, assuming the fact my partner could use a mobile phone and a pen independently suggests they have the dexterity to prepare a simple meal. The report actually Implied that since they could answer the assessment call on a phone that meant they could peel vegetables. This literally was a linchpin and point of contention in our tribunal that wound up winning our case, 

The mobility aspect is by no means only physical - mental disabilities play into it too. However, for enhanced mobility, yes, the vast majority would relate to physical problems, it’s a high hurdle. The lower rate of mobility has to do with problems of planning/undertaking journeys on your own. 

I never left part of the forms blank. But despite my problems, I can plan a journey and figure out things, so I don’t qualify for that. Craziest part, I was awarded lower mobility based on the bulk of evidence I sent in and what my HCP said to DWP on my assessment. 

Spoonie_Turtle

Charles_Foxtrot said:

RoisinDubh_2 said:

Charles_Foxtrot said:

RoisinDubh_2 said:

This worries me as I do travel a bit - it's pretty much the only non-essential thing I do at the moment. I save every penny and spend months planning and then book at the last minute when I know I'm well enough (mentally) to handle it. I have special assistance at the airport and the gate such as priority boarding and sometimes someone walking me through security. I usually contact the arrival airport for anywhere outside Europe and ask about accessibility and what I can expect to be asked at immigration and how long I can expect the process to take, so I can mentally prepare. The airlines I fly with have me down as a disabled passenger and allow me to select seats free of charge that suit my disability (such as back of plane, quietest bit of plane, window seat). I sometimes get escorted through the Accessibility line by airport staff on arrival. So for me, it's not as simple as booking a flight and hopping on it, I have to jump through a lot of hoops, do weeks of mental prep and ask for a lot of support.

Something like travel is actually easier for me than going to an event locally or going to a party, as it's so predictable - I can put all these coping mechanisms into place and have a checklist of what to do and where to go. I cope much better when there are 'rules' and things are documented.

How should I address this? Should I word it as I have here? 

When you say you “travel a bit,” how often does that mean? How many trips per year, how long are the trips? Are they to unfamiliar countries and involve planning and moving around places you’ve never been to before?

you need to be prepared to discuss this, as it’s probable they will ask you about travel if you are trying to claim points for mobility about needing assistance to making journeys.

I get assistance moving through queues at the airport and seating requests approved, and like most people spend weeks of planning to take a trip…but no mobility awarded for PIP. Then again I never claimed for that or would be entitled for it.

I'm prepared to answer them, but I don't see how there's a contradiction. I'm not saying I can't make journeys, I'm saying it requires a level of preparation, planning and contingency planning way beyond what most other people do. As far as I can see, PIP is largely about being able to do things regularly, reliably, in a timely manner, etc. If it takes me two hours to plan how to get across town, and I can't do it without orientation aids, backup plans, and I leave four hours to do do a journey most people could complete in one, then I'd argue that I'm not actually capable of doing these things reliably. A one-off international trip now then doesn't negate the daily struggles.

Most people absolutely do not spend "weeks of planning" working out the minute details of exactly where they're going to sit at the airport that's quiet enough not to trigger a meltdown, or spend weeks emailing back and forth to get the names of special assistance staff at the destination airport to make sure they can be guided through passport control or going through in their head what would happen if they were on the plane and someone asked to swap seats and how they'd respond and literally preparing a script in their head for how the conversation would go. They just book a flight and go to the airport and get on the plane. I'm not talking about planning the holiday, I'm talking about planning the journey. 

It seems like the mobility aspect is largely related to physical disabilities, so I'm not expecting to be awarded it, but I still filled it in honestly and described the many difficulties I have with making journeys. I don't understand why you didn't 'claim' for it - it's a part of the form you must have filled in, so why leave it blank?

RoisinDubh_2 said

When you say you “travel a bit,” how often does that mean? How many trips per year, how long are the trips? Are they to unfamiliar countries and involve planning and moving around places you’ve never been to before?

you need to be prepared to discuss this, as it’s probable they will ask you about travel if you are trying to claim points for mobility about needing assistance to making journeys.

I get assistance moving through queues at the airport and seating requests approved, and like most people spend weeks of planning to take a trip…but no mobility awarded for PIP. Then again I never claimed for that or would be entitled for it.

I'm prepared to answer them, but I don't see how there's a contradiction. I'm not saying I can't make journeys, I'm saying it requires a level of preparation, planning and contingency planning way beyond what most other people do. As far as I can see, PIP is largely about being able to do things regularly, reliably, in a timely manner, etc. If it takes me two hours to plan how to get across town, and I can't do it without orientation aids, backup plans, and I leave four hours to do do a journey most people could complete in one, then I'd argue that I'm not actually capable of doing these things reliably. A one-off international trip now then doesn't negate the daily struggles.

Most people absolutely do not spend "weeks of planning" working out the minute details of exactly where they're going to sit at the airport that's quiet enough not to trigger a meltdown, or spend weeks emailing back and forth to get the names of special assistance staff at the destination airport to make sure they can be guided through passport control or going through in their head what would happen if they were on the plane and someone asked to swap seats and how they'd respond and literally preparing a script in their head for how the conversation would go. They just book a flight and go to the airport and get on the plane. I'm not talking about planning the holiday, I'm talking about planning the journey. 

It seems like the mobility aspect is largely related to physical disabilities, so I'm not expecting to be awarded it, but I still filled it in honestly and described the many difficulties I have with making journeys. I don't understand why you didn't 'claim' for it - it's a part of the form you must have filled in, so why leave it blank?

… Be prepared to explain why your level of planning is above and beyond what most people do. 

… Assessors/DWP will look at the fact that you travel abroad, alone, and are able to do it. And if you can plan and go abroad alone, why can’t you do it on local trips at home via bus or taxi? If you’re able to plan around avoiding meltdowns and go abroad independently, why can’t you do it locally? … Believe me, if the subject comes up, it will be an issue.

Assessors take things far less complicated into account when assessing things.

While it is good to be aware of what can happen in the initial assessment, what's most important is what the law for PIP actually says - which is what a tribunal will be focusing on if it has to go that far. 

So to the OP, please don't be overly anxious about this point - don't be taken by surprise if it does come up, but you can't change whether you have an assessor doing their job properly or not.  Just focus on what you should qualify for and what you should score according to the criteria.  You can't anticipate/pre-empt everything, and refuting erroneous reasoning would come if you have to challenge a decision after the assessment.

As for the bits in bold, obviously I'm not the OP but presumably this is where reliably and repeatedly and in a timely manner come in; taking a ton of effort and time and energy every time is not sustainable.  And if that is indeed the case for the OP, that's all they need to remember.

RoisinDubh_2

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Charles_Foxtrot said:

RoisinDubh_2 said:

Charles_Foxtrot said:

RoisinDubh_2 said:

This worries me as I do travel a bit - it's pretty much the only non-essential thing I do at the moment. I save every penny and spend months planning and then book at the last minute when I know I'm well enough (mentally) to handle it. I have special assistance at the airport and the gate such as priority boarding and sometimes someone walking me through security. I usually contact the arrival airport for anywhere outside Europe and ask about accessibility and what I can expect to be asked at immigration and how long I can expect the process to take, so I can mentally prepare. The airlines I fly with have me down as a disabled passenger and allow me to select seats free of charge that suit my disability (such as back of plane, quietest bit of plane, window seat). I sometimes get escorted through the Accessibility line by airport staff on arrival. So for me, it's not as simple as booking a flight and hopping on it, I have to jump through a lot of hoops, do weeks of mental prep and ask for a lot of support.

Something like travel is actually easier for me than going to an event locally or going to a party, as it's so predictable - I can put all these coping mechanisms into place and have a checklist of what to do and where to go. I cope much better when there are 'rules' and things are documented.

How should I address this? Should I word it as I have here? 

When you say you “travel a bit,” how often does that mean? How many trips per year, how long are the trips? Are they to unfamiliar countries and involve planning and moving around places you’ve never been to before?

you need to be prepared to discuss this, as it’s probable they will ask you about travel if you are trying to claim points for mobility about needing assistance to making journeys.

I get assistance moving through queues at the airport and seating requests approved, and like most people spend weeks of planning to take a trip…but no mobility awarded for PIP. Then again I never claimed for that or would be entitled for it.

I'm prepared to answer them, but I don't see how there's a contradiction. I'm not saying I can't make journeys, I'm saying it requires a level of preparation, planning and contingency planning way beyond what most other people do. As far as I can see, PIP is largely about being able to do things regularly, reliably, in a timely manner, etc. If it takes me two hours to plan how to get across town, and I can't do it without orientation aids, backup plans, and I leave four hours to do do a journey most people could complete in one, then I'd argue that I'm not actually capable of doing these things reliably. A one-off international trip now then doesn't negate the daily struggles.

Most people absolutely do not spend "weeks of planning" working out the minute details of exactly where they're going to sit at the airport that's quiet enough not to trigger a meltdown, or spend weeks emailing back and forth to get the names of special assistance staff at the destination airport to make sure they can be guided through passport control or going through in their head what would happen if they were on the plane and someone asked to swap seats and how they'd respond and literally preparing a script in their head for how the conversation would go. They just book a flight and go to the airport and get on the plane. I'm not talking about planning the holiday, I'm talking about planning the journey. 

It seems like the mobility aspect is largely related to physical disabilities, so I'm not expecting to be awarded it, but I still filled it in honestly and described the many difficulties I have with making journeys. I don't understand why you didn't 'claim' for it - it's a part of the form you must have filled in, so why leave it blank?

RoisinDubh_2 said

When you say you “travel a bit,” how often does that mean? How many trips per year, how long are the trips? Are they to unfamiliar countries and involve planning and moving around places you’ve never been to before?

you need to be prepared to discuss this, as it’s probable they will ask you about travel if you are trying to claim points for mobility about needing assistance to making journeys.

I get assistance moving through queues at the airport and seating requests approved, and like most people spend weeks of planning to take a trip…but no mobility awarded for PIP. Then again I never claimed for that or would be entitled for it.

I'm prepared to answer them, but I don't see how there's a contradiction. I'm not saying I can't make journeys, I'm saying it requires a level of preparation, planning and contingency planning way beyond what most other people do. As far as I can see, PIP is largely about being able to do things regularly, reliably, in a timely manner, etc. If it takes me two hours to plan how to get across town, and I can't do it without orientation aids, backup plans, and I leave four hours to do do a journey most people could complete in one, then I'd argue that I'm not actually capable of doing these things reliably. A one-off international trip now then doesn't negate the daily struggles.

Most people absolutely do not spend "weeks of planning" working out the minute details of exactly where they're going to sit at the airport that's quiet enough not to trigger a meltdown, or spend weeks emailing back and forth to get the names of special assistance staff at the destination airport to make sure they can be guided through passport control or going through in their head what would happen if they were on the plane and someone asked to swap seats and how they'd respond and literally preparing a script in their head for how the conversation would go. They just book a flight and go to the airport and get on the plane. I'm not talking about planning the holiday, I'm talking about planning the journey. 

It seems like the mobility aspect is largely related to physical disabilities, so I'm not expecting to be awarded it, but I still filled it in honestly and described the many difficulties I have with making journeys. I don't understand why you didn't 'claim' for it - it's a part of the form you must have filled in, so why leave it blank?

… Be prepared to explain why your level of planning is above and beyond what most people do. 

… Assessors/DWP will look at the fact that you travel abroad, alone, and are able to do it. And if you can plan and go abroad alone, why can’t you do it on local trips at home via bus or taxi? If you’re able to plan around avoiding meltdowns and go abroad independently, why can’t you do it locally? … Believe me, if the subject comes up, it will be an issue.

Assessors take things far less complicated into account when assessing things.

While it is good to be aware of what can happen in the initial assessment, what's most important is what the law for PIP actually says - which is what a tribunal will be focusing on if it has to go that far. 

So to the OP, please don't be overly anxious about this point - don't be taken by surprise if it does come up, but you can't change whether you have an assessor doing their job properly or not.  Just focus on what you should qualify for and what you should score according to the criteria.  You can't anticipate/pre-empt everything, and refuting erroneous reasoning would come if you have to challenge a decision after the assessment.

As for the bits in bold, obviously I'm not the OP but presumably this is where reliably and repeatedly and in a timely manner come in; taking a ton of effort and time and energy every time is not sustainable.  And if that is indeed the case for the OP, that's all they need to remember.

Thanks. I'm not sure why that poster is choosing to ignore the points I've already addressed. Being able to take a one-off trip is very different to being able to do it reliably, repeatedly and in a timely manner, as you said. The DWP themselves use these criteria.  The "reliably, repeatedly and in a timely manner" thing is surely the basis of any non-physical disability claim? Or even a physical one, for that matter. Someone in a wheelchair who can't walk at all might be able to get away for a week in Spain on their own if they planned it very carefully. They could pre-book a taxi suitable for wheelchairs, pre-book special assistance at the airport, pre-book assistance at the other end, arrange for help and support at their accommodation, etc. Does that negate their everyday challenges? Does it mean they don't struggle to get around their own town on public transport? Of course not. 

Even if I did go backpacking in Tajikistan, that surely still doesn't make my everyday difficulties invalid. A large part of why I struggle so much is that I'm completely wiped out from full-time work and running a household on my own while dealing with a serious executive function disorder and the depression and anxiety that go with it. I don't have the 'spoons' to socialise or exercise or do anything except stay alive on a daily basis. I'm sure I'd cope much better if I didn't need to work, but I do. I'm sure I'd cope much better if I had a partner to support me, but I don't. I can function far better on holidays precisely because I don't have the everyday pressures wiping me out. It's not "real life", is it? It's a week or two that I get to have a break from having to do absolutely everything myself. I get other people to cook for me, clean for me, etc. I'm not working. So yes, I'm able to do stuff like go for a walk and go sightseeing and generally do much more each day than what I can do at home. If I didn't get a break from my miserable, lonely, isolated, joyless life a couple of times a year, I'd probably be dead by now, and no, that's not an exaggeration. The idea of not being allowed a holiday if you're disabled and asking for help just seems so wicked, and the worry and the anxiety about being seen as a fraud for asking for help I'm perfectly entitled to ask for, as someone officially diagnosed with a lifelong developmental disability and under the care of a psychiatrist, is what has kept me struggling for so long.