DLA — Disability Living Allowance
Plain-English walkthrough of every part of the child DLA form, with example wording, evidence tips, mobility help and the top reasons claims get refused.
Parents & carers
Start Here — What DLA Really Asks
How to think about your child's needs before you fill in a single box — plain-English mindset and what DLA is actually awarded for.
Before You Start the DLA Form
Stop thinking in diagnoses and start thinking in daily impact. The DWP needs an ordinary difficult day, not your child's best day.
Part 1 – About Your Child
Basic information about your child — but do not rush it. Names, dates, addresses and school details all matter.
Part 2 – Professionals Involved
Who knows your child and can confirm their needs — including everyone you are waiting to hear back from.
Diagnosis and Conditions
List diagnoses and suspected conditions — but remember: diagnosis alone does not win DLA. Daily needs do.
Communication Needs
Communication is not just speech. A child may talk well but still struggle to explain pain, fear or distress.
Personal Care – Washing, Bathing and Hygiene
The help your child needs with washing, bathing, hair, teeth, hygiene, deodorant, periods and general cleanliness.
Dressing and Clothing
Choosing clothes, tolerating fabrics, school uniform, shoes, socks, weather-appropriate clothing and changing.
Eating, Drinking and Diet
Restricted eating, sensory food issues, refusal, choking, ARFID-type concerns, hydration and supervision at mealtimes.
Toileting and Continence
Toilet training, reminders, accidents, withholding, constipation, wiping, sensory issues, fear of toilets and nighttime wetting.
Sleep and Night-Time Needs
Settling, waking, night terrors, anxiety, wandering, reassurance, sleep medication and the impact on the household.
Supervision During the Day
Watching over your child to prevent harm, distress, damage, unsafe behaviour or escalation.
Behaviour, Meltdowns and Emotional Regulation
What happens when your child is overwhelmed, dysregulated or unable to cope — explained with respectful, accurate language.
Anxiety, Panic and Emotional Distress
How anxiety affects school, sleep, eating, toileting, leaving the house and the everyday routines around them.
Sensory Processing Difficulties
How sensory needs affect washing, dressing, eating, school, sleep, travel, behaviour and safety.
Social Understanding and Friendships
Literal thinking, vulnerability, bullying, social anxiety, rejection sensitivity and the adult help needed after the school day.
Safety Indoors
Impulsivity, self-injury, climbing, accessing medication, sharp objects, unsafe appliances, water risks and fire risks at home.
Safety Outdoors and Journeys
Critical for the mobility component — road safety, bolting, absconding, danger awareness, crowds and public transport.
School, Learning and EBSA
How school evidence — masking, reduced timetables, EBSA, exclusions — shows the daily needs DLA cares about.
Medication, Therapy and Treatment
Medication, therapy, appointments, side effects, refusal, monitoring and the extra adult support all of it takes.
Extra Time and Daily Impact
How DLA decisions hinge on the extra time and support your child needs compared with another child of the same age.
Understanding Mobility Awards
Busting the "they can walk so they can't get mobility" myth — and how to evidence guidance and supervision outdoors.
Severe Mental Impairment and Higher Rate Mobility
The technical route to higher rate mobility for children who can walk but whose behaviour is unpredictable and unsafe.
Top 10 Reasons DLA Claims Are Refused
The ten most common reasons DLA forms come back as a no — and the wording that turns each one around.