It's that time again.
The dreaded Disability Living Allowance Renewal. To say that I hate filling out these forms would be an understatement, but unfortunately they are a necessary evil to ensure that Ana gets what she is entitled to.
Somehow there is always a small part of myself that feels like I am trying to get something that we're not entitled to. What can I say, I guess I am just one of those people that feel permanently guilty, even when it's not my fault.
Anyway enough about my regular guilt trips, something that seems to go hand in hand when parenting a child with special needs, back to the DLA forms.
How I wish there was a simple tick box that states 'Yes, my child still has Autism and is likely to do so for the foreseeable future.'
Every time I worry that I will write something down incorrectly or omit to add something extremely important. You see, Ana is my first child, so I have little to compare her against when it comes to 'normal' children of the same age. Also a lot of Ana's behaviours are, to me, completely normal. After 12 years of parenting these little 'quirks' are part of your day to day life and so becomes normality. It is very probable that there are things I don't include on those forms, which I should, but to me are just the normal day to day running of our family.
It would be immensely helpful if they would also do away with those awful questions, 'How many minutes does your child need help with this?' I don't know! I get on with it, I don't carry a stop watch hung around my neck so I can time myself. What if I put down too much time, or too little?
This occasion I was lucky enough to have a copy of Ana's Occupational Therapy Report to hand, which I can send along with the DLA forms as further evidence of Ana's difficulties and needs. But, seeing them written down in back and white has made me realise just how much more work Ana is to care for and supervise then her four year old sister.
Tomorrow I shall post off Ana's DLA forms and hope that that is the last I see of them for some time.
5 comments:
Good luck!
i too hate these forms and the silly "how many minute" questions.
The truth is they have good and bad days.
I have been told to go with the worst case senario.... but like you i get the guilt feeling...... because it is normal to you. and his brother is 4 so having 2 still tantruming does not feel odd... but i guess most nearly 9 year olds do not headbang and self harm in tantrums... or even tantrum....
Good luck with the yucky form and hope things are going ok for you all!
Hi there, just found you via the autism group at BMB and thought I'd pop by to say hello. I've just filled out this dreadful form for the first time. What a nightmare. It took so long! So much information to give and yet hardly any space on the form. The whole thing left me feeling very low as I'd spent so much time dwelling on all the problems that we have. We've only recently had a preliminary diagnosis but already we're struggling to get the referrals that we need. I'm quickly getting the message that we're pretty much on our own with it and we'll just have to learn to struggle through somehow.
Tilly :)
http://non-neurotypicalnipper.blogspot.com
http://tillytatas.blogspot.com
My mum is bipolar so my dads been filling out these forms for years. A complete nightmare. As you say, why they can't just have a 'no change' box is beyond me...
I saw you comment elsewhere and saw your name seathreepo and wondered are you the same seathreepo I knew on Blip (I am Lyra's Mummy)?
Hi, i just found your blog and i like it! Will visit more often.
I feel you, it must be frustrating. But i think they are just trying to get as much "updated information" as they can. Sigh.
Post a Comment