Best help with DLA form?

[pandyandy1]

Hi.

My Son is Autistic, diagnosed in January. He is now 4.5. I could eat him he is sooo gorgeous and we just get on with day to day life without help. However things have been particularly challenging recently and I now feel prepared to have a go at filling in those horrid forms. (If just to pay for 1:1 Swimming lessons as he would be lost/confused in a regular swim class.)

Which support facility/charity would you reccomend to help fill out the forms?

Thank you x

The cerebra dla guide is really helpful. Personally I think you're best using that and doing it yourself. No one can write from the heart as well about your child as yourself. Make sure your answers are lengthy and go into lots of detail, they will be looking to see how your child's care needs are more than an average child of the same age. If you google "cerebra dla guide" it should come up.

I done it myself and my ds was even diagnosed at that point, got awarded within 3 weeks

Thanks ladies.

It's weird because I am fully aware that my Son requires far more care/supervision/mental patience than my daughters did at his age (and I don't think I'm a daft lady,) however just looking at that form makes me feel like if he can use the toilet, does typically sleep through and eats pretty well, that I shouldn't apply.

The main thing with my DS is that his thoughts and ideas are very rigid! Ie if he wants something, ie a drink two times a night, to play a certain game in the day, or something specific for pudding, he is relentless!!! He will request what he wants very directly (rudely) and he will keep going and going(!!!) unless he gets what he wants, even if what he wants isn't plausible. Ie it may be 1 and 3 o'clock in the morning regards the drinks, Mummy may cooking and not able to play snakes and ladders at that time and we may not have yoghurts in for that evening's pudding!!! (When I say relentless, he can get frustrated to the point that after his very persistant/constant verbal requests (as he doesn't understand why not) he will hit out if he doesn't get what he wants. (Where at this point if I put him in his bedroom he will kick/hit/damage the door for ages before his adrenaline peaks and he calms.)

Another daily thing for us is that if my Son is unsupervised (ie Mummy cooking
/folding washing/dusting, my Son often (obviously not deliberately) spoils my daughters games! Ie my daughters can often be playing make believe Mums and Dads with a make believe car made out out of cushions and my Son will come along and kick destroy their area. And it's not because he's horrid and awful, it's because he can't understand or keep up with what they are doing therefore gets over excited, (though I do of course feel for my girls!?!)

Sorry to bore anybody...I'm just trying to explain how my Son's Autistic traits impact our family more mentally (trying to remain patient/calm/explaining to the girls) rather then physically toileting or physio programmes if you see my meaning.)

X

You need to put all that in the various sections.
So put him waking up, asking for drinks in the night time care section. When you do the eating section, explain that he is very rigid about what food he will eat and that it takes a lot of time and persuasion to deal with any changes.
Explain that he needs constant supervision because he isn't able to socialise even with people (his sisters) he know well without guidance.
The forms do focus on physical difficulties but you can adjust your answers to fit your situation. You just have to think laterally a bit.
The Cerebra guide is good at highlighting this kind of stuff.

Good luck it is hard.

Cerebra do a good guide which is apparently relevant for completing forms for ASD - I've printed it off but haven't worked up the energy to tackle the form!

Other top tip I was given - call up and ask for the form by phone. Your payments will be back dated to the date you called. If you submit over the net it will be payments from the submission date. Good luck!

F

pandyandy your home situation sounds a lot like ours and I put it all in our DLA form. I filled it out myself and was successful. We don't get a lot but it does pay for our dons 1:1 swimming lessons which have been incredible for him!