Might DD get DLA?

[Onthefence87]

My daughter aged 8.5 has an ASD diagnosis.
Didn't think she was really at the level to claim DLA, however my friend who claims it for her autistic daughter thinks I should try applying for it.
I am aware however that it goes on care needs not just a diagnosis or even expenses.

I looked at the sections of the application form on the Cerebra website, and there are some criteria which I think my DD meets, however I find it hard as i don't really know what an 8 year olds 'normal' daily care needs are (she is my oldest child) to be able to compare and know if they are above and beyond the realms of normal.

Things which might be different are; she needs constant prompting most of the time to do each stage of her bedtime and morning routines.
She needs supervision and guidance when brushing her teeth or she will focus on one area and miss the rest.
We also have some bedwetting challenges and now lift her to the toilet late at night to avoid wetting in the middle of the night.
She has lots of fears and anxieties- sometimes she needs us to stand at the bottom of the stairs before she will go up there alone, or even can get reluctant to go to the downstairs toilet a couple of rooms away if we are in the kitchen even though have a small house.
She has fears of spiders, wasps, dogs, motorbikes, automatic toilets and hand dryers which can impact plans or mean readjustments sometimes.
Sometimes (especially if tired) she has emotional meltdowns during which she needs alot of reassaurance and comfort to work through her strong emotions....she tends to catastrophise alot.
She spends alot of time ruminating over things (at the moment it's going back to school) and often I have to sit with her at bedtime for some time talking over her worries before she will settle.

Bedtimes are hard and a good night she is asleep 9.15-9.30, regardless of how much sleep she got the night before and what time she woke up.It's been that way for several years now so evenings for us can be stressful and demanding.

Socially she struggles sometimes....she can be shy and often won't respond or look at adults when they speak to her especially ask direct questions, sometimes a nod or shake of the head or one word answer.We try not to rescue or force her with this but try to sort of scaffold instead.Sometimes if I'm supporting her with answering she will interject but direct this at me rather than the person we are talking to.
Lots of fall outs and disagreements at school....making friends and shyness with others her age seems to have got more prevalent as she is getting older, especially in group situations.
Things with her younger sister can be tricky...she can be very protective and loving but sometimes very overbearing and also aggressive....pushing, snatching, shouting etc so I try to do alot of role modelling, mediating and guidance with positive and appropriate ways to interact.

She is behind in some learning areas at school....needs alot of additional support (especially the past year) time out of class, small group work etc.
Needs ear defenders and wobble cushion durimg assembly or gets overwhelmed and makes noises/fidgets.Has to have movement breaks and fidget toys too.She has a school SEN plan and her goals is 'to sustain concentration for 5 mins during whole class input'. I am also unsure whether to apply for an EHCP?

We aren't particularly well off financially but I don't really see what money can do to solve or help with any of the above....we have had various extra costs related to her SEN, for example props such as a wobble cushion and ear defenders, radar keys so she can use disabled toilets (as they are less likely to have auto flushes) bed mats, vibrating drink/toilet reminder watch, routine boards, countdown timer, costs for specific foods as she is very fussy etc which all add up, but nothing majorly expensive in itself.

I don't really want to go through the process of asking school for evidence etc if it's unlikely we will get anything, but I don't want to deprive DD of something she is entitled to which could enhance her life and could be handy in future to support her (for example giving her additional support with her learning) being able to access more days out for her, get more SEN props.
She also has hypermobility, so it could help with her being able to do swimming etc more to help that perhaps.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

I would apply for DLA. You don’t need to worry about what you would spend it on. Although it sounds like you have ideas anyway.

I would also request an EHCNA. On their website, IPSEA has a model letter you can use.

Thanks for your response....maybe i will try applying for both and see what happens

if it helps, my dd needs nappies at night and that was the reason they stated as awarding her higher rate care, as she had a night time need.

i would word the form in a different tone to the one you're using here, as you're trying to sound positive about your daughter. i would write it and make it clear that these issues are a negative and you have to put extra time and support into helping her.

with dla you also get carers tickets for many things including cinema, some swimming pools etc. for example, i don't need a membership for myself at my local pool to take dd swimming, as i'm not swimming, i'm supervising her.

My DD sounds similar to yours. My local carers center helped me full out the DLA forms and really helped pull out what was beyond normal support for that age (I do have an older child but it's easy to slip into not realizing as it's just what you do). She was awarded middle rate care and lower rate mobility. I was surprised by the latter, but she is at the age where she would be starting to walk alone, but can't as she has no sense of danger when dysregulated.

Thanks very much, this is all really useful feedback.
Met with school last week about her challenges there and they have suggested without me mentioning it that we go ahead with doing an EHCP so will be doing that, and i think applying for DLA is worth a shot.
Sometimes, what would be for many basic things like eating out at a restaurant or busy cafe, going into a supermarket or staying overnight in a hotel can be really hard for DD to manage as she gets overwhelmed, anxious and disregulated, and I've noticed that increasingly lately, so will include that in the application too.