this is for dd2 reconsideration. i need to post it friday and am struggling.(it will be spell checked etc)
I am writing concerning my daughter Lauren and why i feel she is entitled to Disability Living Allowence. Lauren is a very complex child who is showing signs of Autism Spectrum Disorders. She is on the waiting list for a full assessment at the local hospital. She has food issues, speech problems. eczema, allergies, sleep issues, low muscle tone, walking problems and finds understanding her surroundings very hard. She doesnt process the fact the rubbing her face on wood=splinters, she just likes the feel of it. She doesnt understand that jumping from the top of a ladder or the top of the climbing frame= pains and injuries. She doesnt understand that biting someone means that they get hurt. Afterall, Lauren doesnt feel pain so why would anyone else? She is voilent towards my other children and myself. I find it hard getting anyone to watch Lauren as she is so unpredictable. She has beaten up her cousins and some of my eldest daughters friends. She doesnt sleep, and spends over 3hours at night screaming. She wakes up her two sisters and myself. I have to gate the kitchen as she gets in there and plays with the appliances. She floods the bathroom. She falls over all the time. Untill recently i was using a buggy for her but she is now too big. She has a bath step and seat on order from the Occupational therepist as i was lifting in and out of the bath. She has also ordered her a seat for the table as she falls off the chairs constantly.
Lauren has NO road sense. I cant let her run ahead like i did with her older sister at the same age. She runs into roads regardless of cars and other road users. She has run into the roads countless times, which means i have to leave my oldest child at the age of 6years old, in charge of her baby sister whilst I go to get lauren and ensure her safety. She has run out of shops forcing me to leave my other two children with strangers whilst I go and catch her. She is just not safe. I have tried wrist straps and reins. reins worked well but once again she is too large for them, and i cannot afford to get special needs ones. Lauren also falls over in the road as well as on the pavement. So i end up carrying her across roads to keep her safe. At the age of 3 and half years old she should be able to cross the roads safely without me carrying her.
She recently suffered a full allergy skin reaction. She was covered head to toe in an unsightly rash. We ended up making an emergency trip to the out of hours GP as I wasnt sure what to do. She was given regular doses of piriton and the rash took 7 days to go. Her eczema got worse and more creams needed to be applied. Lauren doesnt feel the itching as much as other children do, and doesnt see why she has to tell me when she is itchy. She will just scratch at her skin till it bleeds, so i have to check on her regulary and she also wears special pyjamas to stop her scratching at night. She has nightly baths, creams applied before bed and also at least once a night when she is ithing and scratching. She also needs baths during the night or cold cloths applied to the sore area. She wakes up most morning with cracked and bleeding skin where she has managed to scratch. I reapply creams in the morning and throughout the day.
The falling over is our main concern. It puts Lauren and myself in danger. She wants to do things like other children do, and i feel i have to let her to aid her devolopment. But she needs constant supervision all the time. She falls off climbing frames, climbing up to the slide, walking down stairs, walking upstairs, walking generally. She has seen the physio who has diagnosed low muscle tone and we have strengtheniung exercises to do daily, which we spend 30mins+ on.
Laurens food problems are escalating. she wont eat certain texture of foods and survives mainly on bread, pepperamis, sausages, crackers, hula hoops and curry. She gags on food and vomits as well. I have tried everything to get her to eat more foods, but when faced with a vomiting child shaking with fear over eating, thwn what can i do? She also gags when brushing her teeth. Its all connected with her sensory issues.