Attending a PIP Telephone/Face to Face Assessment & Being Unable To Verbally Communicate

Hi all, I am the carer of someone with ASD which severely impacts their ability to communicate. They have regular periods of mutism where when they are overwhelmed, they are unable to verbally communicate at all, even with family members. This is even more apparent in situations where they are expected to interact with people unfamiliar to them or make and receive telephone calls. 

We've answered the relevant questions in the form, sent along the supporting medical evidence and requested a paper based assessment due to this & the distress a face to face assessment would cause but there is no guarantee of actually receiving one. 

Have PIP fully reverted back to face to face assessments now that the lockdowns etc. have ended or is telephone assessments still being carried out as well? 

I read an article on Disability Claims UK that stated friends or family members are not able to answer for you as it does not go down well and that not responding or having your companion talk for you can irritate the assessor. They advise your companion can prompt you if they feel you haven't expanded on your answer enough but that seems to be the height of it.

Does anyone have any experience of attending a face to face or telephone assessment with a claimant and having to answer the questions for them as they are unable to do so themselves, does the assessor let the assessment carry on in these circumstances?

Not particularly relevant but we are based in Northern Ireland for anyone who has had similar circumstances with Capita in these parts and wants to share how they fared.