need some advice on how to word a letter

[bjkmummy]

hi everyone,

 

my dh is in the raf. we are living in our own house but since ds dx we have decided to move back into married quarters as we come into a different lea which actual provides facilities for asd kids plus i would receive more support in the area.

 

we have to apply for a married quarter - guess similar to applying for a council house. we are entitled to a 3 bed house cos i have ds who is 4 and twins aged 2.

 

we currently have a 4 bed house after living in a 3 bed and the 4th bed made such a difference - all thge kids actually sleep now

 

we suspect that one of the twins is asd as well and we are awaiting an appointment to see specialist for him

 

i just want advice on how i can word my application on the basis that i need 4 beds as all 3 kids need their own room / space and if we have a 3 bed we will have to put the 2 asd kids in together. the 2 year old is now very destructive and would destroy most things in the room. my 4 year old has some good melt downs now and after school needs his own space and likes to retreat to is own room with his own things - dont think he can cope with sharing with a 2 year old -

 

so if anyone is goods with words i would appreciate your advice!!!!!

 

also someone told me that they have to house you according to your needs - if anyone has any reference material where it states that asd kids need their own space i would appreciate this as well as i can put it into my application as well

 

 

manythanks!!!!!!!!!!

[Zemanski]

sorry, no idea about this but this will bump you up again

 

Zemanski

[loulou]

Hi,

 

I don't know if the RAF house people in the same way as council, but i know that a family is allowed 1 extra bedroom than they need. So for you, they may allow you 4 beds.

 

I'm in a similar situation at the moment. I'm in a tiny 2 bed and there's just me and my son (ADHD/ASD). He has a room so tiny, he can't play in there let alone have a full blown melt down! I have written to the council about this and i just wrote down exactly how it is for us and why we need a larger house. I'm waiting for their reply.

 

I'm also looking for written references about ASD children needing their own space, so hopefully someone will come along soon with some information. You could also try getting a letter from your Paediatrician.

 

All the best,

 

Loulou x

[jen]

my friends child had difficulty sleeping due to his ASD and sensory overload. They were advised to put him to sleep in a room with a plain colour and plain curtains. The difference this has made to her childs life is amazing. So you could word something similar. I do not know if this is written down anywhere. In hers sons room is just a bed and nothing else

 

Jen

[Debs]

This is just a quick reply and I will give more detail later. With regards to council housing, housing association property and adaptations to properties there is some information about 'Best Practice' on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) website re; Housing Needs and autism, challenging behaviours and learning disabilities. Basically it talks not only of the impact for the person with the disability but also of the impact on other family members. I have used this extensively when recommending adding bedrooms to properties or supporting families moving to bigger properties to allow the child with Autism/ASD to have their own bedroom. It may just help as evidence in your situation.

I have the exact page and paragraph reference for the document at work, if I get a chance I will look on the web tonight and post you the link.

 

Debs x

[Debs]

"DELIVERING HOUSING ADAPTATIONS FOR DISABLED PEOPLE: A GOOD PRACTICE GUIDE " Chapter 5

Having just looked at it I'm not sure how helpful it will be to you as a document on its own. To others out there needing a separate bedroom because of challenging behaviours/ sleep disturbances then I use it alongside the Disabled Facilities Grant legislation to prove entitlement where necessary.

[rainbow queen]

well i recently moved house to council and its 3 bedroomed -though i was in private before and that also was 3 beds-i have 2 boys.

i got 3 bedrooms allowed due to my sons probs and he hasnt been dx as yet.

i did write some letters explaining how they could not share a room-at the time i wrote this my 3 year old was in a cot and my now 4 year old would try to hurt him by throwing toys at his head ect......amongst other stuff.....

there is no way i can leave them alone together all night in a bedroom-you could also word your letter like this saying it would be of danger and harm to have them in the same room-as of course u would not be present in room to see whats going on all night ect.......

my 4 year old likes his own space and hates his stuff being moved or messed with, if they had same room i would never get any sleep myself as i know it would be all out war all night long.

prehaps your health visitor can also write a letter on your behalf ?

[hev]

my friend is in the same position,she needs a seperate room for her son as theres no way he can share,she got in touch with her occupational therapist who dealt with the council on her behalf and shes just been offered a bigger place,have you got an OT? i havent,actually if anyones got time what does an OT do in relation with our kids?

[bid]

When I applied for our housing association house I sent in letters from my son's consultant and the doctor I was seeing, stating his difficulties and how they impacted on the rest of the family.

 

HTH and Good Luck.

 

Bid

[bjkmummy]

thanks for all the good advice. weve been referred to OT but not had an appointment yet. i avoid hv like the plague cos they missed ds dx and just kept telling me nothing wrong

 

i will write a detailed letter and print of some info as well plus i have the consultants dx that ments ds but also goes on about the concerns that my other 2 year old boy maybe asd. they have a lot of 4 beds empty so cant see why they wouldt give me one as i have to pay extra for it as well but i just want as much weight with the application as possible