DLA

[Jccd]

New to mumsnet so not sure if I’ve posted this in the right place but I’ve applied for DLA for my autistic daughter who needs supervision and assistance during day and night as she wakes up frequently and will wander and she also has issues with her feet. Hoping to get HRC due to her needing care both day and night and HRM due to her autistic refusal episodes coupled with her unsteady feet due to cavus feet (very high arches) which cause her pain when walking, frequent falls and atypical gaits. Only thing is I’ve heard that it’s rare/hard to get HRM and HRC when your child attends a mainstream school (she’s 4 and attends a mainstream nursery at the moment although they have done an ECHP and are giving her speech therapy and some one to one support). She hasn’t been diagnosed with autism yet but SENCO have referred her and provided a statement on the form where they’ve said she shows clear signs of autism etc.
was just wondering if anyone does get HRM and HRC for a child that attends a mainstream school?
thanks in advance!

Hi, my son got diagnosed at 3 with asd he was non verbal up until recently really 7 now nearly 8! But he got middle rate care and low rate mobility he was attending a mainstream but went through ehcp as he was falling really behind and they couldn't meet his needs he now attends a sen school just for autism and he needed a review last year and they awarded him hrc lrm which I didn't expect tbh as all that had changed was attending a new school his needs hadn't changed pr anything still needs supervised through the night and through the day at all times! But I suppose the school part must have played a role in it tbh, my daughter also has asd and attends a mainstream school currently gets mrc lrm but her ehcp just came through to go to a sen school but her dla doesn't run out till 2028 now so I'm just going to leave that as because they're such a headache!

When DS1 was first awarded HRC/HRM he was in mainstream (he now isn’t though and has EOTAS instead).

The cerebra guide is helpful when completing the form. Also look at Contact’s leaflet. The SMI and VUW criteria flowcharts that are used are in this document.

@Username1123 thanks for your reply!
yes it does seem the change of school played a part in it. Dunno how they figure that one out because DLA is supposed to be needs based not diagnosis based etc and obvs needs don’t change no matter what school a child goes to. In fact I would argue that my daughter’s needs are more in a mainstream school for example due to her noise sensitivities to bells ringing and other sounds like that which cause her to have meltdowns. Apparently schools for autistic kids provide a calmer environment for autistic children that better suit their sensory needs. She is starting reception this year obviously if she doesn’t cope very well then I will seriously consider a special school for her. I would’ve rather they put her back a year to stay in nursery for another year but they said because she’s born in January they won’t. If she had been a summer baby then they would’ve.

@ThomasWasTortured thank you for replying I didn’t know what an EOTAS was but now I do so thanks for that! I did use the cerebra guide religiously and the contacts leaflet (I was very thorough it took me a week). Haven’t seen that flowchart before though.

@Jccd yeah I completely agree with you on that one my sons needs haven't changed but I'm not called into school as often for meetings about his behaviour (having meltdowns and lashing out) was definitely worse at mainstream I haven't been called in once about behaviour at his current school and I can say his behaviour has changed he's not as aggressive and agitated as much as when he was at mainstream obv cause they're trained to deal and help him but yeah he's still needs constant looking after no awareness of dangers, still needs constant help with hygiene and eating nothings changed in that aspect still has meltdowns just not.as regular but yeah I'd deffo say in my sons circumstances the school did seem to change it from middle to high, but good luck hopefully you get what you're dc deserves!

Not being able to attend MS does signify a level of need, no-one gets a SS place without significant needs. Although the opposite isn’t necessarily true, attending MS doesn’t rule out more significant needs.

Needs don’t lessen in SS, they are just better catered for, which isn’t the same thing e.g. the sensory needs and support required still exist but the adjustments and support better meet those needs.

You also have to consider that even if DC’s needs don’t change much over time they may do in comparison to typical peers the same age. For example, all young DC need a level of supervision whilst outdoors or in the bath and night wakings whilst young to extent are normal, but the difference between some disabled DC and typical peers the same age widens as they get older, thus it becomes easier to prove they meet the criteria for a higher rate of DLA.

As DD has an EHCP deceleration can be included in F even without being summer born. If the LA don’t agree you can appeal.

@ThomasWasTortured yeah I get you regarding the needs not changing as child gets older therefore the gap between the capability of able-bodied neurotypical children and capability of children with disabilities would become greater. Of course needs don’t lessen in SS they are just managed better with appropriate environment and care which reduces instances of meltdowns and their severity. And as for going to a special school signifying a level of need obvs that’s understandable but the MS school my daughter goes to actually has an above average amount of SEN pupils particularly autistics and I have to say so they are very understanding and seem to have accepted this. Some of the autistic boys there seem very unmanageable but they do manage with them. Back when I was at MS school years ago they weren’t that savvy with autism but things seem to have changed for the better in some schools at least.

@ThomasWasTortured I had a meeting with SENCO at her school and they said they’d like to put her back a year but can’t because she’s not a summer baby. How do I challenge this? Thanks

Do you currently have the right of appeal for the EHCP? If so, you can appeal to SENDIST to get deceleration included in F. If you don’t currently have the right of appeal you would need to request an early review in order to try to get the EHCP amended and be able to appeal if the LA won’t amend. Unfortunately, the LA don’t have to agree to an early review and there’s no right of appeal. If that happens you would have to either wait for the AR or request a reassessment of needs which does come with the right of appeal if refused.

Some mainstream schools being very understanding and going above and beyond is partly why being in MS doesn’t necessarily rule out significant needs. It only works the opposite way, being in SS does signify a certain level of needs.

@Username1123 aww that’s lovely that the new school has helped his behaviour. Your son sounds a bit like my daughter in regard to lack of danger awareness and help with hygiene etc. my daughter has no danger awareness. I feel like she only has danger awareness in regards to being hyper aware of the “dangerous” stimuli that induce her own sensory overload meltdowns like a fly or elephant sound. But anything that is actually dangerous, nah no idea. Hygiene wise she performs a face washing ritual with wee in a potty or performs fecal smearing if given the chance 🤦‍♀️

@ThomasWasTortured this is all very useful information to me thank you I had no idea. I had a meeting with SENCO where we discussed DD’s needs and it appeared they put some kind of plan in place where we applied for extra funding and for help from a speech & language therapist (which is in place now) and I signed for DD to be put on the SEN register and they also referred her for autism assessment (she had already been referred 4 months prior by the HV but they said when they refer it will speed up the process which it did as they soon called me to book her first appointment for end of this month). I was assuming that was an ECHP that they did then? I dunno i will ask the school on Monday and follow what you’ve said to do if she does have EHCP. DD’s sister is neurotypical and is one year younger and she recently moved up to DD’s nursery class and they are much better together as DD doesn’t much engage in play with other kids but will with her sister and will follow her lead with certain things. She kind of brings her out of herself so would be very beneficial to decelerate so they can be together.

You would know if DD had an EHCP. There would have been assessments as part of the EHCNA, you would have received a draft to comment on and name your preferred placement and you will have a finalised EHCP.

It sounds more like DD has an IEP (or whatever your nursery/school call their school level SEN Support plan) and is in receipt of early years inclusion top up funding.

If DD doesn’t have an EHCP you should request an EHCNA - on their website IPSEA has a model letter you can use.

@ThomasWasTortured right ok it does seem like IEP or similar but will check with the school

It’s very hard to get HRM.

You can only get it under SMI (Severe Mental Impairment) or VUW (Virtually Unable to Walk).

Below is the flow chart for SMI. Each point needs to apply to your child and you need medical evidence backing every single one. If your child fits all but one, you won’t get awarded HRM.

The criteria for VUM is on this link on page 8. Good luck.

https://dls.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/A-Guide-to-Disability-Living-Allowance-Factsheet.pdf

That screenshot was a bit blurry so hopefully this one is better. If not, just type in ‘SMI flow chart DLA’ into Google and it’ll come up

Has anyone been successful In getting hrm for a child with asd gdd suspected adhd ? X