Disability living allowance and Aspergers. Should i apply?

puffin said:

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

Hi Puffin,

Disability Living Allowance is not at the moment changing for children under the age of 16. It may though do so in the future.

You should make a claim and you would not usually be seen by a doctor, I think you're getting confused with the other benefit, Employment and Support Allowance.

In some cases, a care professional may contact you about your claim, to help the Decision Maker, but they can make it over the phone etc.

As IntenseWorld has said, gather as much info as you can (e.g. NHS doctors letters, school reports etc).

I would seriously recommend you look into getting a Statement of Special Educational Needs too. They do not have to do it for children who are home schooled however this does not stop from you getting it necessarily.

A charity called IPSEA (http://www.ipsea.org.uk) may be able to help along with any local parent/ carer partnerships in your local area.  Also look at contacting the NAS Education Rights Service on 0808 800 4102 and calls are free from landlines and most mobiles.

NAS could also give you more info about DLA and going through the process, call the NAS Main Helpline on 0808 800 4104 and they'll book you a 20 min appointment for a call back in a 2-3 days to get back to you. You can later book more appts if you need them.

Also Citizens Advice and DIAL charities can also help fill in the form etc.

Echo the other info IntenseWorld has mentioned.

Take Care,

urspecial

puffin said:

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

Hi Puffin,

Disability Living Allowance is not at the moment changing for children under the age of 16. It may though do so in the future.

You should make a claim and you would not usually be seen by a doctor, I think you're getting confused with the other benefit, Employment and Support Allowance.

In some cases, a care professional may contact you about your claim, to help the Decision Maker, but they can make it over the phone etc.

As IntenseWorld has said, gather as much info as you can (e.g. NHS doctors letters, school reports etc).

I would seriously recommend you look into getting a Statement of Special Educational Needs too. They do not have to do it for children who are home schooled however this does not stop from you getting it necessarily.

A charity called IPSEA (http://www.ipsea.org.uk) may be able to help along with any local parent/ carer partnerships in your local area.  Also look at contacting the NAS Education Rights Service on 0808 800 4102 and calls are free from landlines and most mobiles.

NAS could also give you more info about DLA and going through the process, call the NAS Main Helpline on 0808 800 4104 and they'll book you a 20 min appointment for a call back in a 2-3 days to get back to you. You can later book more appts if you need them.

Also Citizens Advice and DIAL charities can also help fill in the form etc.

Echo the other info IntenseWorld has mentioned.

Take Care,

urspecial