Support for my child with learning disabilitys and anxiety with autistic traits

iamgroot

Hi

im new here.

I have 5 children,my youngest two are twins and one has been diagnosed with learning disabilitys and anxiety with autistic traits. she approx. 2/3 years behind her age group and is now being statemented and they suggest special school next year. she 5 nearly 6.

im completely new to all this so need some advice on what I can claim for etc,they've advised me at the hospital that I can claim dla and carers allowance and to apply for a card to help with holiday expenses and trips etc.is there any other hints tips etc to make our lives a little easier?

also as dumb as it may sound I need a little help understanding all of this,no one has taken the time to tell me much. for example,she can only write her name and even then she sometimes muddles the letters up. I will go over and over a word with her and she may get it right by the 10th go but I ask her 30 minutes later and its all forgot. will she always be likie this? can I help improve this in any way?

they also want her to go and have genetic testing done,has anyone elses child been for this and did it actually help you to understand? can it reveal autism or any other condition we don't yet know about?

thanks all

Sam_Alumni

Hi @iamgroot welcome to the community, great name!! I love Guardians of the Galaxy!

So we have a benefits calculator here that you can fill in and see what you could be entitled to claim. Please don't feel dumb, when something is new to you, there is a lot to take in! The benefits calculator is a great start to see exactly what you can get and then we can support you in how to apply.

Does your daughter have an EHC plan? An education, health and care (EHC) plan is for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support.

EHC plans identify educational, health and social needs and set out the additional support to meet those needs. You can ask your local authority to carry out an assessment if you think your child needs an EHC plan.

Take a look at the Parents and Carers category and also the Learning Difficulties and ASD categories where you can find other members who might have similar experiences to you, the important thing is that you arent alone in all this and I hope we can help support you to gain more information to help you all out.

steve51

Hi @iamgroot

It's great to meet you, yes can you please take Sam's advice & please let us know if we can help you further ????

Sam_Alumni

Hi @iamgroot how are you getting on?