DD2 has been turned down for DLA totally. [angry]

[misdee]

apparently 'evidence' suggests that she doesnt require any extra care compared to a 'normal' three year old.

and the fact she goes off to sleep then wakes screaming and self-harming for over 3 hours most nights and is on valloergan doesnt matter at all

Misdee - so sorry to hear about this! And angry on your behalf. Yes, appeal. I also heard all the rumours about first time applications being turned down routinely...and was scared before I began to fill in the form for my DS2! Which is probably the idea...

Diary is a brilliant idea. Also intersperse it liberally with comparisions between your DD and how you would expect a "normal" child to be in each situation. I actually gave examples - lots of them, in fact, I went for the "drown them in paperwork" approach ;) - using DS1, as well as friends children who were both older and younger than my DS2.

As for the kicking a ball and mobility thing, this is a pet hate of mine. My Ds2 can kick a ball much better than DS1 could at a similar age - but DS2 is also unaware that running towards a moving van is a bad idea etc etc. I would think that climbing out of windows/not a care in the world bit could show no sense of danger?

Glad you're getting extra letters for the reconsideration. Fingers crossed for you that the detailed diary will help your case - total pain for you to have to do, but hit them with as many detailed facts as you can collect together.

Good luck,

well sh3e screamed for over an hour last night after midnight and fell out of bed three times.

i swear they didnt read the forms, but just took the pre-school letter as gospal.

the day so far.........

April 1st 2006

Lauren spent over an hour screaming between 12 and 1am last night. She woke up her two sisters as well. She scratched her arms during the period and I had to reapply creams and sit with her untill the screaming had stopped as she does hurt herself during these times. She also fell out of bed three times after the screaming had stopped.

In the morning, she woke up and let herself into the kitchen and played with the cooker. I caught her and switched off the oven grill which was unlit. She bounded about and screeched, which is the sign she needs the toilet, so i had to take her before she wet herself. She fell off the toilet trying to wipe her own bottom. At the age of 3 and a half my older daughter knew to take herself to the toilet and how to balence to wipe her bottom. She also knew not to fiddle with the appliances as well. I have to supervise Lauren in the bathroom as she loves water and has flooded the bathroom a lot. She has also soaked all the towels in the bathroom in the sink as well.

Misdee - hope you've got all of your last post in writing for them (spell it out - possibly add another sentence saying that your Dd2 is not showing the same level of understanding/personal safety that your dd1 had by a similar age). Get all the comparisons in that you can!! From what you've described so far, you're right, they're wrong, but we knew that anyway!

I know it's more writing - and work for you :( but hopefully if you spell it out for them now, they won't drag it out for you any further than the reconsideration that you're going for now.

Hope your day improves!! Take care.

that is an extract from the diary i am keeping. its gonna be long.

Good!!!!! :)

misdee, i have had a look at DS notes that i did for DLA and i put that emotionally he isnt your average 9 year old, if we are going for a walk anywhere he will think nothing of running into the road, picking up stones,sticks or whatever his obsession is, he has to climb anything he sees, if a noisy truck drives past he will sit down and put his hands over his ears and sit there screaming and refuse to move, i put that we need mobility as his obsessional behaviour makes it impossible for us to look after him properly particularly if he runs off.

Also, do you have problems in getting Lauren to eat because we do with DS, sometimes we have to feed him, do you have any toileting worries?
You,ve got to show them that she IS not your average 3 year old, i got a development chart and compared DS to an average 8 year old and that helped.

HTH

Sorry you're going through all this misdee. I've got to reapply soon so have been following your post with interest and increasing trepidation. I've looked on the Cerebra site & downloaded their guide which looks helpful. Also read somewhere (Cerebra or elsewhere can't recall) that what counts most these days is the report/evidence from the health professional/expert rather than the parental form ...........which begs the question why do they insist on SO much info from us! There's a useful form in the Cerebra pack which you could prepare or work through with the person you've asked to do your report - sort of a reminder to them of what they need to include. They also make the point that sometimes GPs or the like are asked to write these reports but have a sketchy idea of some of our more practical problems at home.
Good luck!

Hi.. I haven't read through all this thread, but I am going through the appeal process at the moment. Ds2 has ADHD and is on medication, refused DLA for the second time.You only have one month for your rights to appeal. Get all the evidence you can and submit it to your appeal. Good luck!

Also get a representitive if you can.

There are some websites that help you compile DLA forms, someone told me to put in what you think a normal child can do as opposed to what your child can do. E.G Child wakes and screams at night - A normal child of this age would probably not scream at night. You have to point out the bloody obvious to them, don't take it for granted that they are helpful, intelligent normal human beings, some of them don't even have children, let alone special needs children. Btw waking up at night for three hours should qualify for the higher rate! The other thing is if there is something they do sometimes and not othertimes, should be mentioned as them doing it (not how offen) just that they do this. As I said you have to point out the obvious to them (and some!)

misdee is there any chance the specilat h.v can sit with you and go thruogh the forms and help you word them right - dd's h.v use to work for the DLA and said it' certain words they are looking for and not how much info you have given.

sorry your having to sort this all out on top of everything else - i've just resent dd asking them to extend the mobilty and what a nightmare the forms are no matter how many times you do them they haunt you.

I'm not an expert but if i can help at all please shout.

i have filled out dozens of these forms (peters took 3 attempts, they kept turning it down, dd1 has her her 3rd lot awarded, dd2 is on her 2nd). i requested forms for change of circumstances, and also recieved renewal forms at the same time. i asked which ones to fill in they said both! i dont really care about mobility even tho i personally feel she qualifies due to her lack of danger awarness (runs into the road, away from me, wanders off on her own, falls over all the time, rolls about on the floor, etc etc).

I am trying to find the physio report i had which stated she spent a lot of time rolling about on the ground at pre-school.

OT has been. says she will contact SS about writing a letter for DLA.