DLA for a child with autism and ADHD

Many children have both autism and ADHD. For DLA this changes nothing about the rules and everything about how you fill the form in.

One claim, one child, all their needs

You do not claim DLA per condition. There is one claim per child, and the decision looks at the whole picture: how much more care, supervision or help getting about your child needs than another child of the same age without a disability.

That works in your favour: what matters is your child's individual needs in total, not which diagnosis counts for more. The form is your chance to show the full picture, not two separate smaller stories.

Describe both conditions, together

Describe the help your child needs across both conditions. Go through a normal day and capture what each condition adds. These are examples of what families often describe, not a checklist: every child is different, and entitlement always comes back to your child's individual needs.

• Supervision and safety. Impulsivity plus limited danger awareness can mean your child cannot be left alone in situations other children their age handle safely - near roads, in the kitchen, in a shop.
• Transitions and routine. Leaving the house, changing activity, unexpected changes: what does it take to get your child through these, and what happens without that help?
• Attention to everyday tasks. Washing, dressing and eating can take far longer when attention wanders mid-task. Say how long things actually take.
• Night-time. Both conditions can disrupt sleep. Describe night-time needs too.
• Medication routines. Prompting, supervising and managing medication can count as care when it is part of the extra help your child needs.

Describe the difficult days as well as the typical ones. The decision rests on need, and the full picture is what matters.

Evidence that helps

A diagnosis is not required to claim, but paperwork makes the picture concrete. Useful evidence for a combined claim includes paediatrician or CAMHS reports, diagnosis or assessment letters for either condition, school reports and SEN support plans, an EHCP if your child has one, and your own diary of a few typical days and nights.

If your child is still on a waiting list for assessment for one or both conditions, say so. You can claim while waiting.

The rates and rules are the same

Everything else works exactly as any other DLA claim: the same 2026/27 rates, the same age floors for the mobility component, the same 3-month and 6-month qualifying rules, and the same point about phoning for the claim pack so your claim date is protected (that phone route is England and Wales - our DLA rates page covers the Scotland and Northern Ireland routes). Our DLA rates page has the current figures, and the benefits guide covers what an award opens up.