I’ve just read One in 14 children (or rather their parents) are currently claiming DLA for ADHD or autism.

Well, I would say this all shows how poor understanding is of Autism and ADHD as well as other conditions. Many have a strong hereditary link. Which shows that society will become more neurodiverse over time. With something simple like dyslexia, if one parent is dyslexic resulting children have a 50% chance of inheriting. Both and the outcome is almost certain. Back in my day many children were just pushed into remedial classes and tagged as needing extra support but there was little knowledge or education as to why. Many in my generation have poor reading and writing skills or other cognitive issues and have gone into manual work with skills instead. Now children are expected to stay in school and have a right to an education children "show up" more where extra support is needed. Of course more people will be diagnosed now that they understand these conditions and of course that includes adults. Many of those adults have gone through life with depression and anxiety trying desperately to hide quirks and fit in. The amount of financial support offered highly depends on the diagnosis of highly trained professionals and the amount recieving that support is likely low given my experience of working in mental health. Unfortunately many adults still feel bullied and belittled by their peers rather than supported. I think that is what is really rather shocking, don't you?

I wouldn’t was to return to ADHD dismissed because ‘he’s a 7 year old lad, what do you expect, course he never sits still’.
I worked in CAMHS about 20 years ago, when diagnosis of autism and ADHD was less frequent. I arrived not a believer in ADD, I put the emotional and behavioural problems down to attachment, chaotic home lives etc. Six weeks after shadowing the psychiatrist who specialised in these children, reading the research he recommended, I began to feel I’d been wrong, that ADHD is a serious problem that can cause children to be excluded from school, impairs their ability to learn and is exhausting for parents.
I’m out of date with what evidence parents have to produce to get additional benefits. In our area, educational psychologists or CAMHS are rare. Psychologists don’t usually diagnose ADHD before the child is 7.
I do know how hard it is to get benefits but I also know of individuals who help people tick the right boxes, use the right words in order to put in a claim that may succeed.

Thank you for your sensible post, Iam64.
I totally changed my views, when teaching in an area of high social deprivation.
So much so, that I started studying for additional qualifications
to support children, who could not cope in mainstream and were totally disengaged from/ or unable to engage in learning.
I can assure you that these conditions do exist. Not all parents are scroungers, using so called bad behaviour to obtain benefits.

My daughter suffers from dyslexia, it is a genuine condition, not a fad.

I think ADHD is much maligned and misunderstood. It’s so much more than about awful behaviour.

I would question these stats too.

My daughter, as you’re aware, is a Prary School teacher in a deprived area. In her class of 34 she has TWO children with “suspected” ADHD, in her opinion one genuinely does meet the criteria, the other is a disruptive aggressive horror!

Primary not Prary!

School as it is now ( big schools, noisy classrooms) is not ideal for many neurodiverse children. The old tiny village school with mixed age children learning together but at their own level -may have suited some less able children better.
Parents want to do the best for their children and that nowadays means fighting for support if their children are neurodiverse. Getting the right diagnosis can help get suitable support.
As with many neurological differences there is a spectrum of these disorders. In the past children with what was probably severe autism were shut away and not seen in society. Non academic children left school early and either found their way ( press ganged for a short life in the navy, the army or on the land). I dare say many impulsive children died young -eg hung for stealing an apple.

You need to get your information from a reputable newspaper or the BBC, not the Daily Mail or social media.

Children still need to have a full multi disciplinary assessment to get a diagnosis of ADHD. A private diagnosis won’t get medication or an EHCP or ‘benefits’

There are lots of people on Gransnet and mumsnet who have been dx later in life. It can cause all sorts of MH or addiction issues if undiagnosed

Who is ‘you’?

I have one daughter with dyslexia, diagnosed when she was 22 after she managed a 2.1 in her degree. I first asked if she was dyslexic age 7, then 11k then 16. Each time her teachers said not dyslexic, an end of August birthday.
Her 9 year old is dyslexic.
I have a two members with ADHD (parent and child) and another with ASD.
So we are a neuro diverse family. As a society we are learning all the time about mental and physical health, neuro diversity and genetics.
Complicated, isn’t it

It’s depressing that so many think it’s easy to get benefits, it really isn’t.My neighbours son who is on the autistic spectrum and couldn’t cope at school and was often violent at home is now grown up and doing a job at a supermarket but still has some days when he can’t face interacting with people.He’s a lovely boy but I know he put his parents through the wringer when young and then a teenager.He’s getting PIP but that’s all in the way of benefits he’s ever had.
He had to be diagnosed by experts in the NHS when he was around 5 years old.They can sort the wheat from the chaff as it were, but I think diagnosis has now ceased? Someone will know on here.If it has then it’s the fault of the last government.
Don’t rush to judgement by thinking everyone is swinging the lead, MH is the poor relation in the NHS and has gradually got worse as time goes on.Just be glad that your DC and DGC don’t have any form of autism.

Iam64

Who is ‘you’?

I have one daughter with dyslexia, diagnosed when she was 22 after she managed a 2.1 in her degree. I first asked if she was dyslexic age 7, then 11k then 16. Each time her teachers said not dyslexic, an end of August birthday.
Her 9 year old is dyslexic.
I have a two members with ADHD (parent and child) and another with ASD.
So we are a neuro diverse family. As a society we are learning all the time about mental and physical health, neuro diversity and genetics.
Complicated, isn’t it

We too are a ND family, it’s a blinking nightmare and none of “us” get additional benefits as all “high functioning”

Oreo

It’s depressing that so many think it’s easy to get benefits, it really isn’t.My neighbours son who is on the autistic spectrum and couldn’t cope at school and was often violent at home is now grown up and doing a job at a supermarket but still has some days when he can’t face interacting with people.He’s a lovely boy but I know he put his parents through the wringer when young and then a teenager.He’s getting PIP but that’s all in the way of benefits he’s ever had.
He had to be diagnosed by experts in the NHS when he was around 5 years old.They can sort the wheat from the chaff as it were, but I think diagnosis has now ceased? Someone will know on here.If it has then it’s the fault of the last government.
Don’t rush to judgement by thinking everyone is swinging the lead, MH is the poor relation in the NHS and has gradually got worse as time goes on.Just be glad that your DC and DGC don’t have any form of autism.

👏👏👏👏👏👏

hulahoop, very well said - thankyou!!

There must be thousands of people who are high functioning neuro diverse in highly paid jobs in this country too, never claimed a single benefit

Oreo, very well put. I am amazed at the lack of acceptance and understanding on here. Living with a severely autistic child is a living nightmare! and ADHD is also a complex condition.

Shelflife

Oreo, very well put. I am amazed at the lack of acceptance and understanding on here. Living with a severely autistic child is a living nightmare! and ADHD is also a complex condition.

👏👏

I'm thinking maybe I have got this wrong, as I understood the DLA was for children with mobility problems. By this I mean, that they have quite serious walking difficulties, like a limp, and they may get tired more quickly so need practical help. Maybe this condition can then spill over into behavioural problems, and this is where the crossover label occurs?
I didn't think the disability allowance was for behavioural conditions as such, though I am not an expert, so maybe someone can give a brief explanation what is meant here?

I've never had a formal diagnosis but I'm sure I have ADHD. Professionals I've spoken to agree I likely have.
Autism does seem to be more common & it is proven that there's not a vaccination link, but no-one really knows why it's increasing. I don't buy the genetic theory that it's bound to increase (up-post), most of these things are less than 50% heritable & even if both parents have ADHD it doesn't mean their children will. But it also seems unlikely that it's all down to better diagnosis.

My son's ex gets attendance allowance for their autistic son. He can only manage half a day at primary school and even then there are days that he doesn't go in. He's got a place at a comprehensive next year, but we've got no idea if he will cope. My son works and helps financially as much as he can.

My daughter's older boy has ASD and ADHD. His GCSEs were a disaster but he's at college so our fingers are crossed and his parents have never had any benefits for him. My husband, I realise now was certainly autistic. He was the classic naughty boy at school. At secondary school he excelled at Science, but they only did it for one year and, with no qualifications, he ended up on a building site. He lost several jobs over the years because of his inability to deal with people. Such a waste of his potential.

My impression is that posters with personal or work experience of children with the various neuro diverse conditions under discussion readily acknowledge how tough life can be for child and family and how hard it is to get additional benefits.

escaped -it is possible but difficult to get additional benefits for complex needs, not only physical needs.

escaped

I'm thinking maybe I have got this wrong, as I understood the DLA was for children with mobility problems. By this I mean, that they have quite serious walking difficulties, like a limp, and they may get tired more quickly so need practical help. Maybe this condition can then spill over into behavioural problems, and this is where the crossover label occurs?
I didn't think the disability allowance was for behavioural conditions as such, though I am not an expert, so maybe someone can give a brief explanation what is meant here?

I have 2 young friends ( sisters) between them they have 3 autistic children.
They both receive DLA.

My impression is that posters with personal or work experience of children with the various neuro diverse conditions under discussion readily acknowledge how tough life can be for child and family and how hard it is to get additional benefits.

And although I have no experience within my own family of these conditions Iam, I do most readily acknowledge how difficult like must be for some families. It’s called empathy. I have in in spades for genuine cases and the family trauma must be immense in some households.

Yet it’s those who jump on the bandwagon that get my goat.
They spoil it for everyone else don’t they?

Years ago everyone aspired to an ‘ology.
Now it’s a ND label.

For the families I know who have ASN children, they didn't see it so much as a 'label' as a means to getting them the help and support they needed, and I'm not just talking about financial support. I saw parents who were almost at their wits' end struggling to cope with the demands of raising a child with conditions such as severe autism.

Flat and pip isn’t just for children/people with obvious disabilities and it’s a structured benefit so those more severe would get the higher allowances to cover the day to expenses ‘covered’ those with lesser disabilities qualify for less. Having a disability is expensive, especially if someone has to give up work to cover that care (which saves the government and taxpayers millions btw)

Oh dear it changed DLA to flat