can you advise me on DLA no nothing and ned to know what i may be entitled to

[bubblagirl]

not sure if posting in right place but still

most of you will know me by now my ds was diagnosed with ASD 3 eweeks ago

anyway we had our first SNAP session on monday and it was absolutely fantastic he had a great time talking to the lady in sensory room doesnt speak at all at pre school so was a good sign

he had such a great time and i enjoyed myself not having to apologise for his actions or getting dissaproving looks when doing his own thing at group time

anyway my point manager at SNAP said i need to apply for DLA i know nothing about what i might be entitled to my social worker friend said i should also be entitled to carers allowence due to him not sleeping well at night

so could someoen tell me if they can what yopu needd to qualify for carers allowence and DLA thank you

i heard forms are really difficult so will get someoen to help me do them

SNAP have lots of courses they are running and want to sign him up so really need extra help as we can just about afford pre school fees so would pay for all his courses if we got help just wandered wehter i could get carers allowence or not

its so difficult as im so new to this its only been 3 weeks but i shall apply just hoping i am or he wont be able to attend the courses and they could really benefit him

thank you

oh also would my dp wages affect our entitlement

what SNAP group do you attend? is it same as me did is ee you there lol

i diont work im main carer i just have no clues my friend is going to help me fill forms out as she said they are very difficult and she doesnt want me to miss out on what i am rightly entitled to

i just didnt know if you were entitled carers allowence as she seems to think i could be as my ds doesnt sleep well at night but i guess i would have to wait and see

thanks

just need to be able to do all the things i want to do for him

afford to do all the things i should have said

The forms aren't so much difficult mechanically is that you have to be so negative about your child in writing and that can be really tough.

I suggest filling out just portions of it a day over say, a week or so.

Enlist the help of your son's carers - HVs, paed, etc. They can fill out some of it, too.

It is worth applying.

DD1 gets it, and it makes a difference in other areas, too, like Child Tax Credit.

LOTS of stuff on here in archives about it, but give us a shout if you run into bumps or hurdles whilst filling it out.

thank you so much my friend is social worker and she said she would help have had offers from his special needs doctori didnt realise you had to be so negative about child that i would find hard definatly

Well, you have to discuss how their disability causes shortcomings in their lives.

I found that really hard.

But it's part of it all, you know.

I thought I was over it, but then getting the report back from the Ed Psych, it was hard to read.

And your child can really use the help from DLA, so it's worth it in the long run.

exactly, fio!

it's worth it in the long run.

we're lucky here in that DD1's carers focus on her strengths, too.

her needs are just part of who she is, not all of what she is.

same with your son, bubbla.

just think about how you can use the award to help him be the best he can be.

Try Cerebra's DLA guide here: www.cerebra.org.uk/parent_support/DLA_guide.htm

I've always found it easiest to type it out in Word under the same headings as the official form, then it's easy to keep a copy for next time you claim.

Include reports from all professionals involved (they will write to those you nominate anyway, including school), also I've had written accounts from karate and swimming instructors who've compared ds with other children they teach.

Include lists of appointments you've been to in the last couple of months, phone calls, letters etc.

Essentially you have to prove that your child needs more care than someone of the same age without the disability.

Be aware that it can be quite gruelling to have to face up to your child's difficulties but you do have to write from a 'worst case scenario' point of view.

As for the bottom of each page where you're asked how long and how often, just say 'as required' or 'throughout' because your child could need support at any time, day or night, and it could take minutes or hours.

And don't give up if you get knocked back the first time - most claims do. You can then go to reconsideration and most seem to go through at that point without the need for appeal.

Once you've got your entitlement you can then apply for free cinema passes, supported access to leisure activities, possibly Blue Badge for parking.

Go for it!

You can apply for Carers Allowance if you care for someone who receives higher or middle rate DLA, so you have to get the DLA first before you can apply for CA.

Carers Allowance is taxable, and affected by your income (but not your husband's), but if you aren't working then you should get the full amount and will be under your tax allowance.

DLA is emotionally really hard to apply for as, as everyone has said, you need to fill the form in based on the things your child can't do compared to their peers. The form is long and you do need to put as much information down as possible - it's always worth asking people to help you, especially Portage workers, social workers, etc as they are usually familiar with the forms.

DLA is awarded to the child so isn't taxed or means assessed. It's really worth applying for. Good luck!

thank you every body i heard it may get turned down so i was considering not doing it but have so many courses at SNAP that i want to put him on my dp money alone will not be able to pay form this as we still have bills and pre school fees that we jsut about manage to pay for

i want to put him on makaton course and that isnt cheap well not in my boks anyway as we have no spare cash will get my friend who is social worker to come and help me she knows ds also so can help where i may clam up on what his real needs are

i do tend tom not see what he cant do and it does upset me as i then realise how different he is but if we get the help then at least i can put him on the courses that he will only ever benefit from

thanks for your help did look through past posts i found them interesting and see its not so easy to get accepted so i guess fingers crossed

im intersted about the free cinema passes how does that work?

Cinema Exhibitors' Association Card: www.ceacard.co.uk/

You pay for the child's ticket and carer goes free. You pay (I think) £3 for about three years' entitlement and have to get a card with your child's photo on it. Details on the website.

First things first though, eh?!

ha ha no not after it myself at the moment just never heard of it before just intrigued to find out

that wouldnt be useful till few yrs time his only 3 and wont sit still long enough to see afilm through

just being nosey

My daughter is 4 and has no speech and we haven't had to pay for any courses, Bubblagirl. Do you have a speech therapist who can provide you with materials? Ours also ran an introduction to Makaton for parents.

And does he not have a free pre-school place?

hi sidge the course i wanted to set him up on is run through SNAP and his SALT and language therapy has not started yet not sure when it will all go ahead at moment

also his pre school as he was 3 end of april wont be funded until sept he has been going just over 6 mths so it mounts up all the costs

Sorry don't mean to sound nosy just trying to find you free stuff!

Ah got you. Hopefully come September it will save you a bit of money

no your welcome to ask its a pita that we have to wait till sept but once sept comes we'll be better off but want him on the courses earlier than that as just want to get him all the help asap as already been over a yr with no help

now dx is has been made i want to get him all i can to help him progress so just wanted to find what we may be entitled to etc so i can help him as its ok having SALT etc but it all takes time to develop from were going to do this to doing it and want him to progress and SNAP has lots of things to help him available to us now

You might want to contact NAS about their Help and Help2 courses. Help gives information about applying for DLA, statements, general background information and strategies for managing behaviour, Help2 is more specific, one-day seminars on subjects such as anger management, sensory issues, writing social stories etc. At your son's age you'd also get onto Earlybird course too, and they're all free.

thank you very much for that still so early stages really have no idea of anything so thank you will have a look

sorry to hijack a little but my dd (4.7) is stil being assessed although last meeting with paeds she came out postive for autism and adhd and oppositional defiant disorder (this was through the questionnaires - connors etc). My SENCO has said we shoudl apply for DLA. DO you thnk I can do it now based on that or shoudl i wait for a further diagnosis?

Bubblagirl - sounds like you're getting all the help you can for your son. hope it all goes ok.

knat - I'd give it a go, make sure you put what peads have said in the bit about diagnosis and make sure you list any consultants in the relevant bits. My Ds has quite a woolly diagnosis because we did everything a bit arse backwards but we still got a statement and DLA.

Hiya
My 3yr old has just been DX'd with AS and we are about to start applying for DLA too. FYI The NAS website seems to have a whole section on filling out the form from an autism perspective.