ARFID and DLA

[SENtwinmum]

Hi 👋
I just wondered if anyone has successfully claimed DLA for their child with ARFID? My daughter has been referred to the dietitian,
It affects her daily life/she needs consistent supervision and monitoring due to her sensory avoidance of foods/encouragement and prompting to eat as she is underweight and has a significant lack of nutrition etc Trying to get food into her for calories is a daily battle, she eats so little in a day and refuses anything that isn't a 'safe food' she has also been referred to the paediatrician to be put on the ASD pathway as she has Sensory Processing issues.. any one been in a similar situation and claimed DLA?

I have 2 DC with EDNOS diagnoses (no longer diagnosed as the DSM changed) with a similar presentation to ARFID. They receive DLA, but they also have other disabilities.

I know others who get DLA for ARFID alone or ‘only’ with ASD/suspected ASD, so you should definitely apply.

Thank you so much for your reply! I already receive DLA for one of mg twins, however over the last year twin two has been presenting with these symptoms and starting the process all over again with diagnosis etc and it just occurred to me maybe she would qualify for DLA so it may be worth applying, but I think I'm definitely going to give it a try now thank you ☺️

In case you don’t already know about it, the Cerebra DLA guide is helpful when completing the form.

My dd recieved mid rate care dla before her autism diagnosis. She has a restricted diet, involvement from dietician since 2yo. She hasn't got a formal diagnosis of ARFID as she is just maintaining a healthy weight. She has other needs also. You mentioned they are on asd pathway so are there other ways sensory issues affect or other areas where additional care or support is needed.

@Wednesdayy123 thank you! My other twin is ASD and it's been so obvious since around 1 years old we have always just thought twin 2 was neurotypical as in comparison to twin 1 she seemed to cope ok... however in the last year we have noticed she has been suffering with food avoidance/beige and plain foods only etc she gags at certain smells/texture/look of foods etc which made us take her to the doctors as it's getting more and more restricted to what she will eat, the more we think back about things we've realised twin 2 does have sensory processing problems with restrictive clothing/smells/the feel of things/noise sensitivity etc and certain things have all started to make sense now, the doctor suggested straight away she could also be on the spectrum but just show different traits to her twin so put her forward for the ASD pathway.. I think we were alway sort of blinded to things as twin 1 was so 'obviously' on the spectrum 🤦🏻‍♀️ but I suppose I could write about all this, obviously I don't have any paediatrician reports yet as we're at the beginning of everything again, do you think my own notes explaining things/gp details will be enough at the moment?

@BrumToTheRescue thank you! Yes I used this to fill out first twins DLA form and was successful but I had forgot so thank you for reminding me 😄

Does she attend any setting? because if they could provide anything it would help. We had EHCP and reports when applying. Include anything from the dietician and gp you can also ask them to write something to support your application (short statement), I asked every professional that had spent time with DD.

I had to go through mandatory reconsideration to get the correct rate mobility, and was successful.

As well as any evidence from school, you can use referral letters as evidence. You could also make a subject access request to the GP and use their notes as evidence.

@BrumToTheRescue @Wednesdayy123 brilliant thank you! ☺️ I'm taking her to the doctors again tomorrow to request some blood tests anyway so will ask for that at the time as well