DLA am I entitled

[kkip17]

Hi I'm just wondering if anyone can help me. My 4 year old son has just been diagnosed with autism, he needs my care constantly as I am his comfort aswell as his carer. He is toilet trained for wee's but not for poo's, he doesn't sleep well, can't talk properly, needs help with eating as he has a problem with his jaw (not sure what yet). He has also just been diagnosed with joint hyper mobility syndrome which means his joints are so flexible he can't manage them well and he falls over a lot and wakes in the night screaming in pain, we use a pushchair when going out as he just cries that his legs and feet hurt if we don't and falls over. My question is will I be entitled to DLA and if so at what rate do you think? Thanks for your help

You absolutely should apply for DLA. Use the Cerebra DLA guide to help you fill it in. Start keeping a diary of your son's daily needs and what you're doing for him whilst you're waiting for the form to arrive - it's so easy to normalise your daily life and forget all the stuff you do for him.

Sorry, I have no idea what rate of DLA you will receive, but you sound as if you should get something.

Agree completely with the above. Yes you're definitely entitled for DLA and possibly carers allowance too.

Quick tip, when it asks you how long it takes you to do something, always put at least 20 mins. Over rather than underestimate - folk who do stuff every day always underestimate as they're so used to doing it, and also fill in the form based on what they're like on their worst day. Those are the days when you need the most help.

Quote from the Cerebra guide about rates:

'To qualify for the care component, your child must require
substantially more attention or supervision than a typically
developing child of the same age. How much attention or
supervision they require will determine what rate of the care
component they receive. As a rule of thumb, if they need more
than an hour or so a day they may qualify for the lower rate. If
they need attention or supervision throughout the day or night
then they may qualify for the middle rate. To qualify for the
higher rate they should need attention or supervision throughout
the day and a substantial part of the night.

The mobility component works somewhat differently. To qualify for the higher rate your child must be unable or virtually unable to walk, or the effort required to walk be a danger to their health. A child who has severe mental impairment and severe behavioural problems may also qualify, as may some autistic children who have frequent and unpredictable ‘refusal episodes’. However, this is a technical area, and not something to worry about before completing the claim form! The form is just for you to
give as accurate a picture as possible of your child’s difficulties.

The lower rate of the mobility component is for children who require substantially more guidance or supervision than a typically developing child of the same age whilst outside in places that are not familiar to them.'

You can get Carer's Allowance if you get DLA at either the middle or highest rate. More information here. HTH.

Yes, totally agree with Keema about filling it in as if it is one of your child's worst days. It is far too easy to normalise life with a SN's child. It might be a good idea to compare your care for your child with that of a friend's care for her child, so that you can see the difference, as you probably don't realise how much extra work you're doing.

I hope you're ok about the diagnosis, by the way. It's always hard, even when you expect it.

That's great thank you all so much for your help I will give it a try. Fingers crossed because this is all new to me and I don't really have a clue. Thanks again

Best of luck .