Refused PIP for Dyspraxia/SPD - recently been diagnosed with ADHD, will that help?

vitaminz

Hi,

I am a 35 year old male from Wales, and as a child I was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder and Dyspraxia. As a child I was in receipt of DLA, but I've tried to claim PIP twice for these conditions and I get awarded 0 points for everything. I did successfully get Standard rate Mobility due to anxiety and depression as I struggle to go outside and get about.

This is a summary of what I wrote in the form for the initial Care component

1) Needs supervision to prepare food, clumsy and forgetful so will burn food/be a danger, has trouble keeping attention

2) I have difficulty using cutlery and only eat finger food

3) I have troubles remembering to take medication

4) My Dyspraxia means that sometimes I will wash insufficiently and need prompting by my partner

5) I often wear clothes inside out/back to front and require my partner to make me aware of this, and I cannot tie shoelaces

6) I often talk too fast and struggle keeping track of a conversation, and in distracting environments this can make communication impossible

7) My anxiety causes me difficulty in mixing with others, and I find I can come across as rude/rushing people

8) I have always had issues budgeting, which are heightened due to depression and anxiety

Even after an appeal, and providing plenty of proof about my Dyspraxia/SPD, they would not award me any points. I recall reading that my conditions are not 'known' conditions, and the lack of concrete diagnosis was resulting in me having no award. Firstly, is this correct?

As per the advice of my counsellor, 2 years ago I was referred for an ADHD assessment and an autism assessment. I have recently had my ADHD assessment and I've been diagnosed with 'combined type' ADHD and I will be starting on lisdexamfetamine soon. I feel like having this diagnosis explains a lot of my issues better than just the Dyspraxia/SPD, and I'm looking forward to having some medication that may help. But I've also been wondering if this diagnosis may help support my points above. Even though my issues haven't changed, would having this diagnosis make them more likely to consider them?

My only evidence of ADHD at the moment is a letter telling me I have an appointment to discuss medication after my recent diagnosis, but I have to complete a PIP 'award review' by mid October so I wanted to include my ADHD issues now.

Thanks!

sammyjammy

PIP is not about diagnosis of an issue but how it impacts you, see how the medication works for you, it may improve your issues.

vitaminz

sammyjammy said:

PIP is not about diagnosis of an issue but how it impacts you, see how the medication works for you, it may improve your issues.

I do understand that but for me it seems that despite explaining how my conditions affect me, they weren't taken into account because I didn't have a 'mainstream' diagnosis. 

tacpot12

I think the advice to wait to see how your new medication affects you is good advice.

While you clearly need some support/assistance, the level of support might not meet the threashold to receive help from PIP. It would be best to be sure that your conditions haven't improved, and then consider whether you do need the financial help that PIP would provide and whether you can provide more evidence of how your conditions affect you. 

I think a 'mainstream' diagnosis might help. The DWP do sometimes seem to place some reliance on specific diagnoses, even when they are supposed to judge each applicant on the own difficulties they have living with and managing their conditions. 

born_again

vitaminz said:

sammyjammy said:

PIP is not about diagnosis of an issue but how it impacts you, see how the medication works for you, it may improve your issues.

I do understand that but for me it seems that despite explaining how my conditions affect me, they weren't taken into account because I didn't have a 'mainstream' diagnosis. 

So  have you taken it to a tribunal? 
Or did you stop at mandatory reconsideration?

vitaminz

born_again said:

vitaminz said:

sammyjammy said:

PIP is not about diagnosis of an issue but how it impacts you, see how the medication works for you, it may improve your issues.

I do understand that but for me it seems that despite explaining how my conditions affect me, they weren't taken into account because I didn't have a 'mainstream' diagnosis. 

So  have you taken it to a tribunal? 
Or did you stop at mandatory reconsideration?

A mandatory reconsideration awarded me my low mobility component for depression/anxiety, but again I basically was scored 0 for my points related to my Dyspraxia/SPD. I did appeal it but nearly 2 years later the appeal is still waiting to be heared, but seeing as I've been sent an Award Review I don't know if this overrides it?

Alice_Holt

vitaminz said:

born_again said:

vitaminz said:

sammyjammy said:

PIP is not about diagnosis of an issue but how it impacts you, see how the medication works for you, it may improve your issues.

I do understand that but for me it seems that despite explaining how my conditions affect me, they weren't taken into account because I didn't have a 'mainstream' diagnosis. 

So  have you taken it to a tribunal? 
Or did you stop at mandatory reconsideration?

A mandatory reconsideration awarded me my low mobility component for depression/anxiety, but again I basically was scored 0 for my points related to my Dyspraxia/SPD. I did appeal it but nearly 2 years later the appeal is still waiting to be heared, but seeing as I've been sent an Award Review I don't know if this overrides it?

       Two years for an appeal is far too long and suggests that something may have gone wrong with the process.
   Have you spoken to HMCTS, and what do they say about the delay?

    If the appeal is still in train, and you have an award review pending - then any appeal decision will be time limited between the date of the original decision and the new DWP decision following a new review assessment.

   As you have an award (mobility), I don't think the issue is lack of evidence of a 'mainstream diagnosis' (else no award would have been made).
Rather you may need to give fuller details about how your conditions impact on your ability to reliably perform the DL PIP activities on the majority of days. PIP is not about diagnosis, but centred on the PIP activities and points - reliability is crucial to an award (see link below).

  I'd suggest getting help from your local advice charity with the review form. Be sure to add pages (the spaces are far too small) and fully explain why and how doing the PiP activities reliably is difficult for you.

    https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/fill-in-form-pip/

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/how-decisions-are-made/

peteuk

Id also second looking at the activities.

For instance preparing a meal is a simple meal for one using a hob!  So if you’ve got loads of info on the oven and that’s your examples then it would fall outside the activity.  Try and make it as relevant to the activity description.

Also do you have good days and bad days, can you do a task reliably, repetitively and what’s the effect?

Just because you got DLA as a child means nothing, the assessments and criteria are different and as its nearly 20 yrs ago, so don’t get the mind set of I got this, so I should get this.  That will show in the assessment.

Have a copy of your answers, when you have your assessment, keep focused on the effects your conditions have.  Have someone with you, to keep you on track, to help and support you.

Spoonie_Turtle

It is possible that your current diagnoses haven't been properly considered by DWP resulting in an incorrect award.  That shouldn't be the case but neither should DWP be routinely making wrong decisions that get overturned by the independent tribunal.

The appeal, whenever you get the hearing, will be based on how you were at the time of your claim before.  (Your review will be based on how you are at the time of being reassessed, so if medication for ADHD helps it could change what PIP descriptors apply to you.)  Having a diagnosis of ADHD could indeed help explain some of the issues you experience and might make it easier for the tribunal to understand what you're telling them about the effects on your life.  But it should certainly not be make or break under how PIP is supposed to be assessed.

jojaca

My son has got pip for dyspraxia, he had to go all the way to the tribunal. 

vitaminz

Thank you for all your advice - I've managed to get my assessment report for my ADHD which I'll send as evidence, and I'll make sure I really go into detail in the questions and get advice

I did check up on my appeal in May and I was told it's still in 'Ready to List' status