DLA form... my hand hurts.

[peboh]

Well I've just finished filling out the dla form for my dd, I'm not hopeful we'll get it as she's only 2 without a formal diagnosis, but we were told to apply from our portage contact due to getting 15 hours nursery funding if were awarded it.
But no we wait, with an achy hand and a bit of an emotional upheaval- even though I've been gathering all the information and writing the questions in a notebook for weeks to answer. It still felt very heart wrenching to see it all written down.

Sending hugs.

I've always been fairly pragmatic about DD's ASD and verbal dyspraxia (she's non-verbal) and stoic throughout years of intensive therapy, speech and language and fights with local authorities for primary placement.

Yet... That form destroyed me. I felt ridiculously emotional about it and remember the emotion vividly to this day. It's tough laying it all down in such detail.

The good news is you'll only have to do it one more time and hopefully after that she'll have her DLA until adulthood.

Yes, I'm very much on the basis of 'she is who she is, her problems don't define her' but I had tears by the end of the form. It really took me by surprise how upset it made me.
Thank you!
Yes hopefully!

I’m glad it’s not just me. I’m quite no nonsense and have always been open and honest about my youngest’s autism, but the DLA form has me in tears every time and I’ve had to do it three times, I still don’t get used to it.

@Ilovellamasandpenguins

I’m glad it’s not just me. I’m quite no nonsense and have always been open and honest about my youngest’s autism, but the DLA form has me in tears every time and I’ve had to do it three times, I still don’t get used to it.

It's definitely not just you. It's a horrible form, and I think I was completely unprepared for seeing it all written together, even though I'd spent weeks collecting information for it. It's nothing I didn't already know, but I suppose you don't think about it day to day as it's just your life. Hopefully you don't have to fill it in too many more times

Have you stuck it in the envelope yet? If not, take photos of each page, it makes the renewals easier if you can just copy the bulk of the info and only update any changes.

Well done for getting it done, its is a horrible form to have to do isn't it.

I've just done my third renewal. You can ring up and ask for a copy of your previous form. They are very quick at providing this.

@peboh

Well I've just finished filling out the dla form for my dd, I'm not hopeful we'll get it as she's only 2 without a formal diagnosis, but we were told to apply from our portage contact due to getting 15 hours nursery funding if were awarded it. But no we wait, with an achy hand and a bit of an emotional upheaval- even though I've been gathering all the information and writing the questions in a notebook for weeks to answer. It still felt very heart wrenching to see it all written down.

Our little boy is 21 months and has just been awarded middle rate dla. We are still on waiting list for a diagnosis. We only had our health visitor referral and nursery support to submit. The form is awful and so upsetting to complete. I filled it out while still coming to terms with his referral even though I had suspected for a long time. It was a tear stained form and I am so glad we don't need to go through with it again for another 3 years. Like pp I had take pictures of the form on my phone so I can use it for reference.