Autistic Son and Blue Badge, Advice needed

trubster

I have an autistic son who is 2 1/2 years old, he will not walk anywhere and we need to take him round town etc in a major buggy as he is too big for normal buggies.

He often throws tantrums in stores and needs to be taken away from the situation to be reassured.

What i need to know is if it is worth applying for a blue badge as it stated to get it for someone under three you need medical equipment etc. would a NHS Issued Major buggy count as medical equipment?

Thanks

Trubster

colin13

IMO yes u should b able to get a blue badge u and ur son need all the help u can get,,apply, even if u feel the need to phone them and explain the situation even if it comes to gettin a letter from ur doc do apply they r handy apart from when able bodied people park in them with no regard for disabled people

Zara33

I think each council vary some only give out blue badges if you get high rate motability DLA others are happy with a letter from the doctor. I would certainly apply if i was you, you have nothing to loose whatsoever.

allen35

Have you tried applying for DLA for your son?

trubster

Thanks for your replies, we have applied for DLA and he has been awarded the HIGHER CARE component, he is not ellegible for mobility as you need to be over 3 to qualify

allen35

Good do you receive carers allowance and be sure to apply for mobility when he's 3 as the extra benefits will be needed. When getting hi rate mob and if you get a car on the motability scheme it comes with blue badge, free insurance and tax so despite your difficulties i do wish you well and i know your son and yourself will cope on the rocky road

trubster

allen35 wrote: »

Good do you receive carers allowance and be sure to apply for mobility when he's 3 as the extra benefits will be needed. When getting hi rate mob and if you get a car on the motability scheme it comes with blue badge, free insurance and tax so despite your difficulties i do wish you well and i know your son and yourself will cope on the rocky road

Thanks, I have applied for CA but it is taking ages to go through

allen35

Dont worry trub

carers allowance WILL be backdated up to 3 months.

A client of mine has been waiting since late JAN so preston are either guilty of losing everyones records(sounds familiar for preston) or they're extremely busy but keep annoying them all the tima and keep dates, times and advisors names.
GL

lil_me

Very much a postcode lottery, very few in my area have a blue badge who have a child with autism as higher rate mobility is required in my area for a blue badge and it's very rare for a child with just autism to be awarded higher rate mobility. There are limits on the mobility payments because of age, my son had only just started walking after he was 2 and was not entitled even if he couldn't walk properly because it's based on 'compared to a child the same age without disabilities' they said he'd be expected to be unsteady on his feet, have tantrums, refuse to walk, run off etc. He was 5 when they awarded his lower rate mobility but have refused to allow higher rate because he can walk (that was the exact reason I was given is that he can physically walk so is only entitled to lower rate).

Like has been said the worst they can say is no. If you contact your local council they will let you know how to apply and the local criteria. It may be on your local councils website. For now because of your sons age you could use the parent and child places in car parks etc.

Broken_hearted

As he doesn't have any mobility issues he shouldn't get a blue badge or a car. You should get full carers though and support in looking after him.

samf1971

broken hearted that's incorrect. You do not have to have "mobility" issues to be entitled to the high rate mobility

The way the dla asses for high rate mobility component includes getting around outside, not just a simple case of if you can walk then you won't get it, especially as ASD children need extra supervision when walking outdoors, I agree that you have to compare to a "normal" child when giving your examples but I know my child needs masses more supervision when outside than a "normal" child of his age, he has no understanding of the spoken word & is obsessed with running into the road & lying down in the road to watch the vehilce wheels.

The wording the dla use to define if you're eligible is : "severely mentally impaired, with severe behavioural problems and qualifying for the highest rate of the care component"

I wouldn't necessarily say that it's very rare to get the high rate mobility but I do think that you have to fight your corner for it as you have to really show the evidence of why your child should be entitled to it, in exactly the same way when you apply for the care component, it comes down to what you put on the form and also who looks at your claim when it arrives with the dla & if you don't agree, appeal.

With regards to the blue badge, I know of plenty of people who have succesfully applied for one, I would suggest you get the backing of one of your specialists when applying to help (perhaps, paed, h/v, social worker)

trubster, there are loads of websites with help & info, not sure what you already know so if any help pm me