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Disability living allowance and Aspergers. Should i apply?

puffin

Hello all,

I have just received the permission letter to home school my son who has Aspergers and suffers with anxiety, he and i are very excited, ( and a bit nervous if truth were told) I want to get it right!

Money is tight and causing some stress in the family (i do not, and now i am home schooling our son, cannot work).  I wondered about applying for DLA.  My son is quite high functioning but mainly struggles socially, eye contact talking to people unfamiliar to him, emotions the odd tantrum if routines are changed.  He struggled at school with stress so i decided to remove him before things got difficult.   He did not have a statement but struggled with organisation and following instructions due to poor short term memory. 

Should i apply?  I read there is an assessement by a doctor before they decide if DLA is granted, is that very intense?  What does it involve?  i do not want to put our son through any added pressure?  would it be with our own GP?

Thanks for any help and advice in advance.

PUFFIN

Parents

  • Yes you should apply.  It's not true that there is always a doctor's assessment but you should always be prepared that they may ask for this.  You would need to send in any professionals reports on him that you have, such as diagnostic reports, S&L reports, OT reports, any contact with CAMHS letters etc. and the more you send the less likely they are to request a doctor's assessment or interview.  They are likely to want to write to named professionals if your evidence isn't compelling enough for them or is not up-to-date.

    As his parent and carer, you are the expert on him and you should give as much detail on his issues as you can.  Contact your local Parent Partnership organisation for help, as ours assisted in applying and completing parts of the form for my daughter.

    Regarding what it needs to be spent on, it is meant to compensate for the additional costs of having a disability and could be spent on your child for anything that improves their quality of life that might be toys that help with development, activity clubs, replacing things they have broken during meltdowns etc. I don't think there are any actual rules such as a list of things you are allowed to spend it on, just that it must be spent for the benefit of the child. 

    https://www.gov.uk/disability-living-allowance-children

    If your own income is below £100 p.w. you can also apply for Carer's Allowance if your child is awarded DLA.

    As you are going to home-educate (I have just finished HEing my 8yo for a period of 2.9 years) you could spend it on books and resources for him.

Reply

  • Yes you should apply.  It's not true that there is always a doctor's assessment but you should always be prepared that they may ask for this.  You would need to send in any professionals reports on him that you have, such as diagnostic reports, S&L reports, OT reports, any contact with CAMHS letters etc. and the more you send the less likely they are to request a doctor's assessment or interview.  They are likely to want to write to named professionals if your evidence isn't compelling enough for them or is not up-to-date.

    As his parent and carer, you are the expert on him and you should give as much detail on his issues as you can.  Contact your local Parent Partnership organisation for help, as ours assisted in applying and completing parts of the form for my daughter.

    Regarding what it needs to be spent on, it is meant to compensate for the additional costs of having a disability and could be spent on your child for anything that improves their quality of life that might be toys that help with development, activity clubs, replacing things they have broken during meltdowns etc. I don't think there are any actual rules such as a list of things you are allowed to spend it on, just that it must be spent for the benefit of the child. 

    https://www.gov.uk/disability-living-allowance-children

    If your own income is below £100 p.w. you can also apply for Carer's Allowance if your child is awarded DLA.

    As you are going to home-educate (I have just finished HEing my 8yo for a period of 2.9 years) you could spend it on books and resources for him.

Children
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