ASD AND DLA? Help please

[charleysmum83]

Hi I have an 11 year old son who has had a diagnosis of asd since he was 5 he has a statement of which he's had since he was diagnosed.. Was wondering if it's worth trying to claim dla for him.. his mobility is generally ok it's more his social skills and understanding he struggles with... Im not sure weather he would get it as I've read online it's pretty hard to get he does get the highest number of hours of help at school through his statement is this beneficial to claiming dla? Thank you

The hours at school are helpful in an application, as they demonstrate that he needs extra help through the day.

Have a look at the Cerebra website - it has a guide that talks you through the form for kids with neurodevelopmental disabilities. You have do explain how your DS's needs are different to that of a typical 11 yo. eg for mobility, if he can't walk to school alone, has to be supervised outdoors etc, he could qualify for lower rate mobility. If he needs to be supervised most of the time because of challenging or impulsive behaviour, he needs help with washing and dressing, you have to encourage him to use the toilet, wipe his bum etc then all of these things can contribute to the care component.

Thanks ill look that up...

Yes you should apply. The forms are hard. A few tips.
Can your child hear - you may answer yes. But I may put no. Can hear words but has difficulty understanding the meaning or understanding words have a purpose. So will not react to being spoken to or only when a key word is of interest to him.
Can your child walk - you may say yes. I may put my child does not understand the function of walking. Only walking when, where, at the speed they want to and direction. This means they will not walk near you or where they need to go.
Can your child see- you may say yes. I would say they can see but have difficulty interpreting what they see. Walking over or into objects in their path. They bump into objects as difficulty with perspective.
You need to see the questions from a different angle. Get help it's impossible for a parent to right negative stuff about their child plus you do and see everything as the norm not different or extra.
Good luck.

Thanks for the advice I think ill get his TA to help with the form she knows him really well.. Do you think they will ask why I'm trying to claim now and not when he was diagnosed.. To be fair I didn't know about it and when I did the form put me off.. But with the cost of living shooting up a little extra help would be beneficial to him.

The point made by charlotte is very important. I used the Cerebra guide mentioned by ouryve was really helpful too.

DD can hear, but does not always interpret the meaning of sounds appropriately. An alarm or siren doesn't always register 'action' to her, she is more likely to freeze than move out of the way if a car beeped at her. She can walk but trying to walk round a supermarket or shopping centre is too overwhelming, she finds it extremely difficult to walk with purpose as sensory seeking takes over and is easily distracted. This also puts her at higher risk near roads/water etc as she can't assess danger effectively...

It's a horrible form to fill in, it took me three attempts to finally send it, and much wine chocolate and tears, but that's because seeing everything we do above the 'norm' was a shock.

our children need that money to buy the seamless socks,the endless supply of beige food, to pay the baby sitter you end up sending home straight away because you can't go out after all

I agree the Cerebra guide (and even the instructions guide that comes with the form) are useful.

It is a really long detailed form to fill in. Do it in small bits because otherwise it's overwhelming. I used my statement request and various assessments/reports to help as well.

If your ds needs help/encouragement/support to do things (compared to his peers) then put all of that in.

I think lots of people dont realise that it is available so I wouldnt worry about not applying for it previously.

The best idea is to ring the Department of Work and Pensions and ask for a claim pack. Then they will date any DLA that you get from the date you asked for the pack (as long as you send the stuff back within 6 weeks).

Good luck with it all!

Thank you all... fingers crossed... x

read this please **They won't ask why you haven't applied. Many people don't apply for years too it's very common.
When you fill in the form think about all the bad days not the good.
When it talks about how often you do therapy say you do it continuously don't put it down as minutes. You alter your communication to help him all the time.
If you can yes chat to TA for advice and write her thoughts in rough. Then ask the citizens advice for help. They are given money from social services to employ someone to fill in these forms. They will have a good knowledge of what to put.
Be pessimistic when you write the form. If you get middle or top rate you can then apply for carers allowance. Looking after someone with additional needs is very costly - appointments etc. this is a small help to compensate you for the extra cost - it is deserved.
Good luck.