Advice on applying for DLA please

[Soutty]

Hi

I've just started a VBA programme and my consultant thinks my son definitely has a speech disorder in that he has auditory processing problems and problems with articulacy. She also thinks he may be on the ASD spectrum albeit at the high functioning end. She has advised me to apply for DLA. I didn't think I'd be entitled as my husband and I both work and we don't have a diagnosis but she assured me that we are entitled and could get up to £300 a month.

I have decided to apply as VBA plus dealing with his articulacy issues aren't going to come cheap and he has had no speech therapy whatsoever since I first started the assessment procedure for him a year ago. Private therapy is going to cost more than £300 a month so I figure I should at least try.

Any tips on filling in the forms? I know they are making cuts to DLA - is it likely to be more difficult to get now than it would have been a year or so ago?

Thanks in advance.

I used the cerebra guide which was superb, you can download it here It was very very useful.

HTH

Thanks Chuckeyegg

I second the CEREBRA Guide. I just finished completing the form for my DS ouon Monday and I couldn't have done it without consulting the guide first.

on*

I didnt use the Cerebra guide but another very similar one. If Id just followed the guidance that came with the DLA forms Im sure ds wouldnt have been awarded the level he ended up with. Following the more comprehensive guide really helped me to describe all the extra support ds need compared to his peers. Its long though and takes a while to go through and at the end of it I always feel drained but its definitely worth it.

The DLA is for your child, not for yourself or your husband and so your earnings do not affect their entitlement. Also, your child doesn't need to have a diagnosis for you to be able to claim.