Encouraging Their Dreams And An Inspiring Graduation Speech From Sef Scott

I have always championed my children to try their best, and not to give up, or give in. My youngest son, who is 8, and has a visual impairment, mild speech impediment, and potentially a mild processing disorder (he can forget things quite quickly, if he's given too much information at once), wants to be a fire fighter when he's grown up. At the moment, I am not telling him that he will not be able to drive when he's an adult (his VI is too severe ), as I feel he is too young to comprehend this, and I do not want to hinder his enthusiasm for life. However, I will encourage and support him to fulfil his dreams - he can still work within the fire brigade, just not at the front line. In fact, he could do almost anything, with the right adaptions (large print), and there is no reason he shouldn't work hard to attain his chosen career.
It may appear that his disabilities will hinder him, but he is receiving an amazing education from his school, and they are unlocking his potential, and so I remain positive that he will continue to develop and learn. 

As for J, his work choices are a lot more limited, but they are not diminished. J can follow guidance, and is methodical in his approach. He gains a lot of pleasure from the outdoors, as do I, and what can seem boring tasks for another person, J enjoys - examples being - he loves sweeping leaves ( "sweeping de leaves" as he calls it) , pruning bushes (with adult supervision - I've taught him how to do it safely), and I will be teaching him how to mow the lawn (we have a petrol mower, which means no danger of electric shocks from cutting the wire). 

J is very strong and tall, so he can touch the ceiling, without needing a step ladder or stool. He can reach objects high up, which is very handy, but also means I have to find more ingenious hiding places for things I don't want him to have! He can lift and carry things, and follows basic instructions of where to take them. 

J will be starting college in a few months time, and thankfully he has been placed at the outdoor learning unit, which is based at a small farm. This, I am hoping, will bring about more opportunities for him to do the things he loves, and learn more, and potentially find a little part time work / voluntary work,  that he can continue with when he leaves. 



Finally, I want to share with you an amazing, uplifting, and inspiring 6 minute video, from a graduation student at Plano Senior High School, Texas, that I watched. 

Sef Scott
Plano Senior High School
2018

The student's name is Sef Scott, and he has autism. His graduation speech is wonderful, and I highly recommend that you watch it. I hope his words make an impact on the world, and inspire others to follow their own path, and work for their dreams. 

You can view the video here ( Plano Senior High School, 2018)

The Switch From DLA to PIP

The time has come for J to be recognised as an adult, in the eyes of his disability payments. As he is now 16, he has to move from Disability Living Allowance (referred to as DLA from now on), onto Personal Independence Payments ( referred to as PIP from now on). 

We had a home visit by an assessor, who needed to see myself and J, to make a decision around whether he was capable of taking over his money, instead of me handling it on his behalf. 
J was prompted by me to say "hello" to the assessor, and then proceeded to march in and out of the room, playing the Teletubbies intro theme tune on his iPad, burp with a lot of voracity, and say "pardon mummy!" in a very loud voice.  He was just being himself!
The home visit did go well, and the assessor quickly recognised that J has no concept of money, it's value, or what DLA or PIP is all about - and she was not fazed by his lack of awareness or manners.


Soon after he turned 16, I received a letter from the PIP department, inviting me to begin his claim - as DLA has to stop at 16 (no exceptions). I telephoned the number at the head of the letter, and was greeted with a recorded voice, informing me that the number had now changed - the same thing happened when I called up about the assessor visit, three months prior! They are still sending out letters with an outdated phone number on - not something you would expect from such an official place.
Perhaps they have a bulk lot of these headed papers, and are using them up, before they begin using the correct ones?

The initial PIP claim (on the telephone) took around 25 minutes, and was pretty straightforward. Just ensure you have all the details of your child's GP, a specialist (if relevant), and your bank details (presuming that you, the parent/guardian, has been assessed as adequate in handling the child's payments) ready, so you are not fiddling around trying to find this information whilst on the call
There will be forms for me to fill out, on J's behalf, as well, and I was told these should arrive within two weeks.

I was informed that J's DLA would stop within 4 weeks of this phone call. However, I have since learnt that if your child has an 'indefinite' DLA award (there is no end date for you to have to re-apply and be reassessed for your DLA award money), this information is incorrect. There should be no stopping of any DLA on indefinite claims, until the PIP claim is sorted, and payment has been scheduled.

What did happen however was that J didn't (or rather my bank account didn't) receive his due payment of DLA. After chasing two phone numbers up about this matter, I was told that his DLA payment had been rescheduled for two weeks later, and the payment would be different - they are presuming that the PIP will be in place by then - however (!) the four week time period that is given for a new PIP claim, does not ever run to this time frame, and usually lasts a fair few more weeks, if not months - even if you submit all paperwork in good time, and have completed everything asked of, with no delay. 

So we are in limbo at the moment. I'm waiting for the paperwork to arrive, and am anxious to get this sorted and in place. I have a little nagging worry that there will be more hiccups, telephone calls, chasing up answers, and maybe even a decision that J will not be awarded PIP (which is unlikely due the severity of his learning difficulties and need for adult supervision 24 hours a day, but it could happen).

I will hopefully have a positive update on here soon.

J And The Neighbour's Parcel Deliveries

A funny little thing happened recently with J, a parcel delivery for my neighbours, and the 'help' he thought he was being to me. 

I have a usual routine of removing the name and address labels from every parcel I receive for us, as soon as I've removed the contents from the box, so that it can be squashed and put into the recycling. 

One day recently, I took in two boxes for my neighbours, and put them in the kitchen to store until they collected them. I totally forgot about them, until I saw my neighbour's car in their drive. I went to retrieve them from the kitchen, and found two empty boxes, labels removed, and the contents piled neatly on the side.

I quickly packed everything back into the boxes - luckily he hadn't squashed them - and scuttled over to my neighbour, with a pained and embarrassed look on my face, which she looked quizzically at me for. I hastily explained what had happened, as I handed her deliveries over, and she was very understanding, and even laughed ; 

When we first moved into our house, she introduced herself within a few hours, and produced a lovely bottle of red wine to welcome us into the small cul-de-sac, and I explained all about J and his 'funny' ways and special needs - so she was really unfazed by his latest antics. 

It was only later on in the evening that this thought occurred to me - thank goodness her deliveries where nothing embarrassing, or of a sensitive nature! I don't think either of us would be able to stop and have a little chat every so often, or even pass pleasantries as we head in and out of our houses, without blushing.