can you still claim dla for a child thats not been formely diagnosed with adhd.

[antonia26]

My 5 year old as been accessed for adhd we.ve seen the doctor this week who as said it looks like he does have it but can.t be formely diagnoised until he gets the school psycologist report but the school is just dragging their feet i asked months ago for this the doctor has now written to the school to speed it up. The school and i had to fill a qyestionare out schools score was worse than mine, he.s getting behind at school cause he finds it hard to concontrate and keep still he.s forever getting into trouble and being sent to the headmaster along with another boy who as just been told he also as adhd them to bind really well together. My son is also sensitive to some foods aswell i notice cause some make him very more hyper just like some medications. So would i need him to be diagnoised first or should i just go ahead and see what happens mind time they get round to going through the forms he.d probably be diagnoised with it.thanks in advance

[antone]

You could have a look at this thread from a few months ago.

 

Basically, the answer is yes, you can claim and you do not need to wait for a diagnosis. DLA is awarded based on specific care or mobility needs, rather than on any formal diagnosis.

[Nystagmite]

I think I read if you have no diagnosis, you put the symptoms the child has.

[antonia26]

Ok thank you will go to citizen advice to help fill out forms when i phone to get them thanks .

[abc123def]

My own experience of this is not easy. I completed an application form with the help of a floating support worker for my dd. She had huge anxieties and social problems. She was turned down, and I went to tribunal with evidence from school/GP/CAMHS and failed. 2 months later I managed to get charity funding for her to go to an independent school for children with disabilities, there she was diagnosed with a severe receptive and expressive language disorder which places her on the autistic spectrum, it was evidenced how she 'hides' her non understanding but how her anxieties affect her. I made a new completely identical DLA application as I had 2 months earlier (as her symptoms and difficulties were identical as they always had been) but this time enclosed her speech and language report which gave her diagnosis. She was awarded LRC and LRM initially for 2 years and then 2 years later was awarded it indefinitely.

 

So for me I got absolutely nowhere without the diagnosis, despite other professional evidence of her synmptoms. It makes me cross and frustrated actually, as her needs were identical and it shouldn't rest on an official diagnosis but unfortunately in the current system the diagnosis is often crucial.