Hello, when the LCWRA for change is 'day to day life cannot be managed', what does that mean?

opps sorry here is link

I think this one is relevant to people with autism or possibly some mental health disorders where a change in routine causes anxiety to the extent that the person shuts down completely or has a meltdown which takes a while to recover from and they need someone to be there to calm them down and help them move through their distress.

I don't know what the decision maker will do, i'm afraid. If you are in receipt of pip, although they are supposed to be seperate benefits (you can qualify for pip and not LCWRA and vice versa) that might go in your favour.

It seemed to for my son. His face2face LCWRA appt was cancelled last minute as "new evidence had been received"

Very puzzling as i had not sent any new evidence BUT what had happened, that very week is that pip had made a decision on his claim. So i think they do work together a bit even though they say they don't!

Yes - if the work you are doing contradicts what you said on the form, that could be a problem!

I should say - I am not a disabled person and our family is not dependent on benefits.

My son did qualify for LCWRA and double enhanced PIP but i am always seeking out opportunities to help him do the most and i'd rather see him move off these benefits and into work.

In his case, unfortunately, he is hampered by an additional learning difficulty so it's probably not realistic that he will ever be independent of us or benefits but his confidence has rocketed through work - even volunteering does so much for self-worth and practising social skills.

Supported employment is what my son does - it is exactly as described. The disabled person works alongside able workers.

Where my son is (in a cafe) they take people of all disabilities from anxiety, Downs Syndrome, Autism. Just anyone who needs support to be able to carry out work.

Check out what services are available for autistic people in your area. There might also be a drop in centre for activities with other autistic people.

I do think it is important to still try, within what you are able to do, just to gently try and go out each day - even if the thought of my suggestions feel too much just now - try to get out with your mum for a Mcdonald's, some bowling or anything you can manage.

Because if you stay in your house every day it can soon seem too much to go out at all.

So - good luck getting your LCWRA but don't write yourself off if you get it! Try to just gently explore things that might interest you without stressing yourself out!

The face2face that was cancelled was the capability to work assessment. After i filled out the UC50, my son received an appt to go in for an assessment of his capability to work.

I think it was the day before the assessment that i got a phone call to say it was cancelled and to watch out for a message in the UC journal - then a message appeared there that he was put in LCWRA.

It was a surprise as we all expected LCW for him but it turned out to be good as he has managed to learn a few skills at his own pace.

Yes, i totally get how difficult this is and i'm glad your Mum is a great support to you.

Just small steps. Although autism is life long, you can still learn new skills and make lots of progress as long as your environment is well organised for you.

Take care

I think you could stay on LCWRA for until it was reviewed.

You are in a similar situation to my son in a way because, when his routine is kept stable and his work is familiar, he is very capable at it.

In fact, i doubt whether any customer at the cafe he works at would spot he had any problems at all most of the time.

Where he would have a problem is if a few folks came in at once all asking for things at the same time or if a jug of water got knocked over - this is when a supporter would need to come along and assist.

And - i can tell you are more cognitively able than my son (just by the fact we are having this conversation) but i expect you are similar in that when you are given the things you need to succeed at work - fewer demands, shorter hours, not working to deadlines, allowed to work in a quiet area etc - you perform really well.

But when your boss sees you performing well, there's the risk that they increase your workload til you have an autistic burnout.

So my thoughts are that if you get the LCWRA then, if and when you felt ready, you could try some work and just go very slowly if your employer will support that. What is your work, if you don't mind my asking?

If it all went really well and you managed to get back full time, you will likely have deductions off your UC as you can only earn £500 and some (can't remember exact figure) per MONTH before you start losing some of your UC.

But i think you could stay on LCWRA til it next got reviewed (uc would see you were working again; i don't know if that could trigger a review)

And then - if you earned enough to get independent of UC, you'd need to ask your employer for reasonable adjustments to make sure the work stayed manageable for you.

Do you think you can recognise the situations that cause you to have meltdowns? Are there any strategies you have been shown that work for you?

I expect, as you get older, you will know yourself better. We all do, autistic or not. You will know exactly what pushes your buttons - unfortunately in a workplace it can be another collegue that just bombards you with questions, information, scrapes their chair, wears strong perfume you cannot tolerate. Opens a window when you want it shut.

People are just very annoying! And i am not even autistic!

So, for you, obviously your Mum will know when you're ready to move out. And i think it would be really important to know that you can calm yourself down before taking that step.

You could still be close to home. Have a care package put in. Have phone numbers to call.

Even simple strategies like just stopping, breathing slowly, closing your eyes and just knowing that your anxious feelings will subside. Having a plan of what to do each day. Clear, easy, not too much. Write it down.

And - most of all - knowing when to ask for help. Autistic people are not good at asking for help!

But, you know, no man was ever designed to live as an island. Even adults need help. And no problem cannot be solved. When you can't see a solution, there WILL be someone else that can solve it.

So i would advise keeping your Mum close at hand always!

It sounds like you have lived on your own before?

So you can do it again. In fact, you can do anything you want to do but the key things for you are going to be understanding what your triggers are and having your life organised to reduce overload.

Knowing how to say "no" at work and not being pushed into too many demands.

And - recognising impending burnout. Headaches, stomachaches, palpitations, dizziness etc - you urgently need to let your mum know you need help.

Take things slowly. You could do this over a number of years. Maybe not try to return to your old job straight away. Do some volunteering which could bring you into all kinds of situations where you could practise keeping calm or walking away to take time out. The great thing about volunteering is it looks great on CVs and no contract.

If you need to walk off the job and cannot stand it - just leave! No notice required! But if it goes well it builds your confidence and social skills.