Universal credit and DLA

[Hellosunshine17]

Hello, just wondering if anyone is in the same boat or can advise me further.
I claim universal credit and I'm self employed, I do as many hours as I can cleaning but I have twin boys who are 12. One of my boys is autistic and was diagnosed when he was 7 years old, he goes to school but needs the extra help and has a keyworker that helps him daily at school.
I've only recently found out through someone I work for that I am entitled to DLA for my son.
I've struggledd quite bad for money over the years since my divorce 10 years ago. I'm annoyed that nobody from the tax credits or universal credit now had ever mentioned that I would be entitled for extra help and funding for my son do they just keep things hush hush until you approach them?!. I also am clear they don't back date to when he was diagnosed 5 years ago!. Has anyone experienced this? Why is it not made clearer for parents who may need this extra help. Makes me quite cross that I've struggled and to think other people are unaware of this extra help really gets to me.

The first time you apply for DLA get some assistance - a wonderful woman from Citizen's Advice spent hours completing autistic ds's application as I didn't have a clue either back then how these things worked.

I have recently changed from Tax Credits to UC and I notice that you can be awarded a Carer's Element even if you don't receive Carer's Allowance, so please check your UC Award to see if it includes this. I'm self-employed too.

However, if you do receive Carer's Allowance, UC deducts it from the Total Award.

Good luck OP.

Contact your council's Money Advice Unit. Book an appointment with them and they will help you complete the form.

If only one twin us autistic, think about what you have to do for your autistic child that you don't have to do for the other one. My child is a similar age and they need me to fetch their clothes and dress them every morning. I get make and fetch their food for them (they wouldn't even know where to start even making a sandwich for themselves), I fetch their toothbrush and toothpaste for them and have to give numerous prompts to remind them to brush their teeth, it takes at least 3 hours of persuasion to get them in the bath. It can take an hour to persuade them to leave the house. All of this isn't normal for most 12 year olds and this is what they mean by care over and above what another child of the same age would need.

However, if this was a five year old you might be expected to help them get bathed, dressed, brush teeth so may not be entitled to DLA because of that.

I'm also regularly up in the night with my child. My child also needs me to sit with them for up to an hour or two to help them get to sleep. Again, not usual for an average 12 year old.

I think 80Dodgeballs has described a/her/his/the 'situation' rather well - the differences become more marked as the dc get older. My ds is now 20, he's come a long way, but there is still so much I have to do for him and that's the difference.

You can go see a Welfare Rights Officer who will help you fill out the form and will also deal with appeal or tribunal if need be.

Like other posters have said it's based on his needs comparative to someone else his age, so you will be able to gauge this on what his twin brother can do that he can't.

It's quite hard going doing the form, it's long and it's horrible writing down constant negatives about your child.

I also did an hour by hour breakdown of my day with my child, with the time it takes me to do tasks or assist them with tasks. E.g. Wake up, how long that takes, what you have to do. Assisting with toileting, handwashing or even reminding to hand-wash and flush toilet. And so on until they are in bed asleep. Also include and wakening and settling time.

Write it down even if it takes less that a min. It's stuff you do automatically without realising you are doing it. You'll realise how the time adds up.

Done this for an entire week. Mon to Fri will be the same for example because he has school but the weekend will be a bit different.