ASD 14 month old and DLA

[cake123456]

Hi, long story short for months I’ve been signs my son might be autistic. I spoke to the health visitor who did wellcom assessments, she then referred him to SALT and the paediatrician.
I rang SALT for an update who told me the referral would get declined due to his age I fought them and ended up getting an assessment that same week. They then sent me a report and in this they said

“Conclusion
Even at this young age, it is clear, that concerns expressed by mum, are consistent with observation and reports made. He does not appear to have or be developing the language abilities consistent with peers of his age, and his social communication again, as described above, is not consistent with how a child would be typically presenting at his age”

my son is only 14 months, so for a health professional to agree that he’s autistic it’s a shock for me. We’re still waiting for the official diagnosis from the peads which currently has a wait of about 2 years. My question is a few people have told me to put a claim in for DLA for him but with him being so young would he even get an award? Is it worth trying? Has anyone else applied for a child so young with autism?

thanks

DLA is based on a child requiring substantially more care than another child their age, not diagnosis (or potential diagnosis).

So depending on their needs, it might be tricky to demonstrate that they require more care than another 14-month-old (who obviously still require a lot of care).

That’s what Ive explained to friends who suggested I apply for it. I need to prove he needs more care than a typical baby of his age.
thank you

Have a look at Cerebra’s guide. You can get DLA for babies and toddlers, so DS’s age alone doesn’t prevent an award, but you will need to demonstrate DS’s needs which can sometimes be harder when DC are younger.

Why do you need additional money for his care?

That isn’t the relevant question for determining whether someone is eligible for DLA or not.