What benefits are there available for a child with A.D.H.D?

Question

Our seven year old son has just been diagnosed with adhd, we have heard that we can claim benefits, but we do not know which ones or how to apply for them. He is still going through the process of being statemented for special educational needs.

Any help would be very much appreciated, thank you in advance.

Answer 1

Hi ...i am not sure what help you can get i think maybe a child with adhd can get low rate disability living allowance But this depends on the amount of help and care your child needs, Thomas pictured left get DLA at the highest rate care and mobility this is because

1 He is 10 and non verbal

2 He cannot wash or dress himself

3 Still in nappies

4 Cannot be left alone

5 He sleeps 2 hours a night if that

6 Attends a special school

7 Has a statement f special needs

Thomas's hospital consultant helped us fill in the forms the link bis below ...i must say its a very long and tiring process and there is a chance you will get turned down when you first apply

Answer 2

Just because your child has a diagnosis of ADHD does not automatically entitle you to claim benefits. Your child's condition has to seriously impact on his day to day life and limit what he can do. You cannot claim benefits for an academic learning disability but if it limits what he can do day to day you might be entitled to disability living allowance. DLA is difficult to claim and at the moment it is getting more difficult. The best thing you can do is go to the citizens advice bureaux and consult their welfare rights worker who will be able to advise you. Good luck.

Answer 3

None that I know of - many others have tried and got nothing because its not an illness that requires a special diet or 24/7 care x*x

Answer 4

In the school district where I work, ADHD is not recognized as an exceptionality. Unless the child has been diagnosed with some other learning disability or other problem, he/she would not be eligible for any special programs. If by benefits, you mean something such as a disability claim, I do not believe that your child would qualify. Those are usually reserved for severe problems that cannot be corrected with medication such as autism or profound mental handicaps.

Answer 5

Ok..Claiming benefits and being statemented are two completely separate issues. he does not have to have a statement to be eligible for benefits. neither does he have to be on the Childrens Disability Register altho he might qualify. Check that with your paediatrician (or whoever diagnosed your son).

Your best bet would be to contact carers support. you should be able to either google it if you enter your local area or get the number from citizens advice bureau or your Dr. They will help you with claiming the right benefits.

I am guessing he might be eligible for disability living allowance and you then become eligible for carers allowance depending on whch rate he gets. Carers support or citizens advice will be able to give you a lot more detailed help tho so DO contact them. You can download the DLA form but if you ring the number your claim is dated from that day so you dont lose money while you are filling in the form. It is huge, long and complicated so ask Careres support or citzens advice for help. You MUST paint the blackest picture (without lying) of how your son is affected.

Also, I highly recommend contacting any local parent support groups be cause they are a great source of advice, especially practical (like which shoe shops do private fittings for kids with special needs) or which restaurants are tolerant etc.

Regarding statementing, I suggest you get in touch with iPSEA or if you are in the Surrey/Merton/ etc area SOS!SEN. They are fantastic at guiding you thro the process and advising and supporting you to ensure your child gets the help he needs and is entitled to. The LEA will not provide anything they can avoid paying for so any assessments they carry out are usually total c**p and they will put the barest minimum into the statement they can get away with.There are laws governing how a statement should be written:the provision in it should be specific, measurable and quantified so do not accept something which says 'fred would benefit from access to a speech therapist ' for example, because that means that they can say 'oh yes a speech therapist comes to the school twice a year. She'll see him if she has time.' and there is nothing you can do to enforce it.It should say 'F needs 2 sessions of speech therapy per week of 20 mins a session, delivered by a speech therapist'. Then you know what he should have when and whether it is happening or not. If not you can demand it in law as the statement is a legal document. its too complicated to go into here which is why you need to be in touch with one of the groups i mentioned .Parent partnership services are ok but htey are funded by the LEA and are limited in what they are allowed to tell you.

Google SEN toolkit and print off the information about how a statement should be written and what it should contain and when yours arrives you will see what i mean! you do not have to accept what they give you but you have to be prepared to fight to the death to get what your child needs. Also ring DfES and get yourself a Special Needs code of practice. Its free and is an excellent guide as to what they are obliged in law to do for your child and it helps if you know it inside out. Good luck, We are going thro similar with our second son right now. Both he and his older brother have Aspergers. its tough but we say we did it once (with the help of SOS!SEN) and can do it again. If you end up going to tribunal make sure you get a specia;ist education solicitor to handle your case. Also get independent reports on your child so you know exactly what his needs are. (ED Psych, Speech and language, Occupational  Therapy etc) costs a fortune but its the only way, unfortunately.

Answer 6

Adhd is listed as a mental disorder in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders2 (DSM-IV-TR). It is a condition recognized by Psychiatrists, Metal Health agencies, Counselors and other health professionals everywhere.  Social Security Disability benefits are available for Adhd, but it is very hard to get.

Here's a link to the Social Security site:

http://www.ssa.gov/disability/

And here's a link for tips on filling out the forms:

http://www.adhdnews.com/ssi.htm

Here are links that explain how the Social Security determination process works:

http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/adhd-at...

http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/applyin...

We were denied benefits a couple of years ago but are reapplying.

Our diagnosis was made by our family doctor and when we went for testing, my Grandson couldn't be still long enough for the test to even be completed.  Perhaps that is why we were denied, but now that we have a longer treatment record and considering that they both are in special classes in school, we may have a better chance of getting approved.

Here, the school district does testing to determine the need for special classes but even if they don't feel it's necessary in borderline cases, they will accept a physicians statement that has a diagnosis and why he feels that special classes are necessary.

Hope this helps!

Answer 7

My nephew was diagnosed with that when he was 5 yearsold I thought then that it was just a case of his mum & dad not being able to pay him the right sort of attention,communicate on his level and his $hit diet.My opinion hasn't changed i think it's total bollox he's 15 now doing really well at school,it's a lot easier for a gp to say that than really look at the whole life picture,generally from all the cases i have seen on TV ,life etc it's just the parents haven't got a clue how to be the ADULT  in control .

Answer 8

If he is 'statemented' then he should get extra help at school. I don't think ADHD is counted as a disability if it is you may get a carers allowance

Answer 9

I don't understand what you mean by benefits. Do you mean financial benefits? For an ADHD? Not unless there is some other disabling condition like mental retardation or blindness.

The type of benefits an ADHD child would get in school would be special assistance, more time taking tests, etc.