What rate of DLA do you think my son will get? If any

[mum0ftw0]

Hi ya all :)

Well I put in the application a few weeks back.
Bassically I wrote My son's needs.
Aged 4.
Cannot use public transport because of severe mood swings.
Push him around in a trailor to get out.
Needs watching all the time.
Attend to him 3 times a night usually, nappy changes, nightmares etc
Need to use symbols to communicate with him.
He'll only be going to a special school part time in september, whilst other kids his age will be going to normal school.

Severe speech delay.
Probably ASD

Sent two clinical reports and a speech therapist report.

What do you guys reckon?
And any chance of getting any mobility??

Any help appreciated.
Thanks =)

Hi You may get MRC or HRC but almost certainly not mobility. I'm going to tribunal re mobility next week

You need to fill out the forms describing how he need more care than a "normal" child of the same age. I would say you would get the care side, can't comment on the mobility side.

My ds has recently been awarded HRC but nothing for mobility - I don't know anyone who has managed to get mobility for an under 5 with ASD. What you are awarded can depend on the way you fill in the forms, a friend with a ds very similar in need to mine only got MRC and is putting in an appeal.

Basic rule of thumb:

Evidence of around 1hr extra care per day = Low Rate Care
Evidence of frequent attention throughout the day, OR attention at night only= Mid Rate Care.
Evidence of frequent attention throughout the day AND 3xnight time care of over 20 minutes per time, or 1xa much longer spell (this can include early waking if the family wouldn't usually get up at this time routinely)=HRC.

LRM for children 5+ who need extra guidance or supervision
HRM for children who either

a) cannot walk
b) are virtually unable to walk
c) have HRC, Severe Mental Impairment AND Severe Impairment of Social Functioning AND are frequently need restraint because of danger to themselves or others.

Depending on the detail on your form, and the evidence supplied you could get no award or any award. Sorry, it just isn't as simple as condition x=award y.

We showed lots of extra care every night for DS2 (4yo at the time, he's just turned 5 now), and only MRC, as the reviewer said waking up alot at night for hours at a time was normal at 4yo. Was also mid-statement, so didn't have the strength to argue. He also said that DS2's "quirks" about not wanting to walk (the word we used was refusal, along with unable to walk when distressed) wasn't a "disability problem" and that was that. again,

In a few months, when I've got a few more pressing things sorted, I'll be revisiting the mobility thing.