laine Report post Posted June 13, 2007 Hi all... just to let you know after our long, very long road with C. He has now got a statement for 7.5 hours per week. This does not sound a lot, but when you break it down it will do for starters. The next hurdle is the dreaded DLA tribunal. C has Asd spectrum dissorders with complex leaning difficulties. Has anyone else out there been through this awful process and humiliation????. I have had letters from the Cahms team, the community paediatrician and they still are putting us through this humiliation. I would tell them to shove it but, i have come this far and will not beatenn on this one either lol. Take care all lainexx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
laine Report post Posted June 13, 2007 i meant learning difficulties, hmmm i think he takes after me on that one lolxx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lisa Report post Posted June 13, 2007 DWP reduced my nephew's DLA to low rate care and mobility when he turned 16 in November because for some reason they seem to think as soon as he reaches 16 all his problems will miraculously disappear. It's utterly ridiculous, he's been at special school since he was 7 because he can't cope with mainstream, in fact his special school are having trouble coping with him and he has to have 1:1 all the time despite being in a class of only 6. DWP had also just done a home visit to assess him and had decided he wasn't capable of conducting his own affairs financially so my sister has power of attorney (is that the right wording?) My nephew doesn't have a diagnosis of ASD, although we think he may be on the spectrum but he has ADHD, dyspraxia and is basically a 6 year old in a 16 year olds body. Both my two get high rate care and low mobility and they're at mainstream. There doesn't seem to be any consistency with their decision making. My sister has been trying to get the decision changed for the past 7 months, she's had to send in loads of additional evidence and still they refused to change their decision. She really doesn't need this hassle, he's such hard work to cope with without all this additional stress. In the end she appealed to tribunal but before she got a date for the hearing, she got a letter this week from DWP saying they'd reconsidered and he's now been awarded high rate care and mobility backdated to November. Don't give up, you'll get there in the end. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JsMum Report post Posted June 13, 2007 Congratulations, its a real hard process and so I know what it is like, lets hope the hours they have given can contribute to helping him, but are you feeling he does need more hours if so I would appeal, its just that 7 1/2 hours contributes to just an hour a day, if he is struggling its going to bearly make any difference so if your feeling he really does need more then do tell them and see if they come back with an increase, especially as you say he has learning difficulties, for this band it warrents more than what has been awarded because they understand that the child is going to struggle to take in information, retain it and process it and he is in a learning enviroment for 6 hours a day, and we havent even toutched the social and interaction and the extra of sensory and change issues. It sounds mad as well with what I am going to say now, but it may actually be harder to add hours once you have agreed becuase they will want to say well you was happy with the hours in the beginning, so I would speak up now, and with statements in annual reviews its also a chance they reduce the hours rather than increase them. so I just want you to see that by having a learning difficulty he really is at an disadvantage and will need continued support throw out the day. I do want to congratulate you and I know the massive achievement just dont be too scared to question the hours if you have daughts in your mind. JsMum Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JsMum Report post Posted June 13, 2007 Just wanted to add another good luck with tribunal as well, I first went to tribunal when J was very young and we had no diagnosis or anything just that he required more attention and care, supervision and support than a normal child, we didnt even have the support of school, yet the panel where just so upset to find we where struggling without any real support, they where the ones who told me to go for a statement and I had to promise that I would once they agreed to award J the DLA and they granted it for Three years as well, I was so shocked, they even said well done at the end because they said I had tried really hard as a mum on my own to do my best for my son and the award came just as we moved to a new home and they wished us luck. I really do hope and pray that you get a panel just as good and understanding as the ones I did, we didnt have to go to tribunal after the renewal and we did give in the evidence from diagnosis and statement so they where pleased to see I had done just what they wanted me to do and we were successful. Sometimes some proffessionals are just as disgusted with the system. But really good luck. JsMum Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
laine Report post Posted June 14, 2007 Thanks, just hope the tribunal for the DLA goes just as well. I wish you and yours wellXXX lainex Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted June 14, 2007 Hi Laine, Glad to hear you got the statement, and good luck for the DLA battle. <'> K x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
