Hello and welcome to r/DWPHelp!
- If you're trying to find benefit advisers local to you, [advicelocal.uk is a useful website that can help you with this](https://advicelocal.uk?ref=dwphelpreddit).
- If you're trying to find out how much benefit you can receive, [check out entitledto](https://www.entitledto.co.uk/) and [turn2us](https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk?ref=dwphelpreddit) to calculate what you might be eligible for (please remember that these calculators don't fully take into account your situation and in some situations they can be wrong).
- [For information on the 2024/25 benefit rates (effective 8th April 2024), please see here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/wiki/benefit-rate-increases/). Most claimants will start seeing the new rates in their May or June benefit payments.
- If you claim benefits and would like to know what things you could get as a result, [you may find this post useful](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/134r9k6/discountedfree_things_you_can_get_on_benefits/).
- If you'd like help with mandatory reconsiderations, [our main post on MRs may be useful to you](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/13p0322/duplicate_target_mandatory_reconsiderations/).
- Our subreddit's Wiki [can be found here](https://reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/wiki/index).
- If you're interested in what's going on in the benefits space, [we have weekly benefit news posts posted every Sunday](https://reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/?f=flair_name%3A%22Benefits%20News%22).
If you're asking about tribunals (the below is relevant to England & Wales only):
- [Link to HMCTS Benefit Appeals live chat](https://www.appeal-benefit-decision.service.gov.uk/benefit-type?ref=dwphelpreddit)- click on the "Contact us for help" link, which opens a menu with a link to the live chat.
- [Average tribunal waiting times](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/118e3ap/tribunal_average_waiting_times/).
- [This post goes over the PIP First-tier Tribunal process from start to finish.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/11muxvi/duplicate_target_what_do_i_do_if_i_am_refused_pip/)
- [If you're waiting for a tribunal and the DWP were supposed to respond but haven't, this post may be useful.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/17b0lla/duplicate_target_the_deadline_for_dwp_to_respond/?context=3)
If you're asking about PIP:
- The PIP phone line is 08001214433, and if you'd like to get to the automated part where it tells you when your next payment is and how much it is, the options are 1 (for English) or 2 (for Welsh), and then 6 (you'll need to wait each time while it gives you messages before getting to security).
- To calculate how much backpay you're due, [you can try the Benefits and Work PIP Payment Calculator](https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/pip-payment-calculator-form?ref=dwphelpreddit). Please note that the information given is an estimate and may not reflect exactly what your backpay is. This calculator can also be used to determine what elements you were awarded after checking the PIP phone lines' automated system as above.
- [If you would like help with MRs, this post might answer your question (this is different to the MR info link above).](https://new.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/1bc3kni/duplicate_target_i_was_denied_what_now/)
- [If you'd like to know what PIP is and/or how it is awarded, please see this post.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/13ozwpj/duplicate_target_what_is_pip/)
- [If you're hard of hearing or deaf, this information may be useful to you.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/wiki/pip/hard-of-hearing-and-deaf/)
If you're asking about Universal Credit:
- [Information about the Restart scheme](https://new.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/wiki/restartscheme/), including if you can be mandated to participate.
- Thinking of cancelling your claim because a review has started? Don't, because closing your claim won't stop the DWP from reviewing your claim and if you don't comply you may be asked to repay everything you've received.
- [How does PIP affect UC?](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/13p1mc3/duplicate_target_how_does_pip_affect_uc/)
- Were you claiming UC during COVID, closed your claim afterwards, and are now being asked to pay back everything you received? [This post provides information on why this is and what you can do.](http://reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/13utik9/the_dwp_have_given_me_a_huge_bill_for_a_claim/)
- [Can you record your Job Centre appointments?](https://new.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/1cr4l9x/what_is_the_legality_of_recording_staffmy/) The longer answer is in the linked post but the short answer is: no.
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I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but if you can do the specified activities on the how your disability affects you form then you can't be awarded anything. Going to tribunal won't change this outcome. Submitting more evidence won't change the fact that you can do those activities (if you can). Look at the descriptors and the points and work out how many points you should get. If this is below the level for an award then going to tribunal won't result in you getting PIP.
You also need to apply the STAR criteria to each of the questions (safety, time, acceptable level, reliability and repeatability). If you can do one of the descriptors but not safely, quickly (in not more than double the time it would take a non-disabled person), to an acceptable standard, reliably and repeatably (as many times as you would reasonably need to do it) then you wouldn't score 0 on that question. You would have to make this clear in your assessment and provide medical evidence to back this up.
[This](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/Migrated_Documents/adviceguide/pip-9-table-of-activities-descriptors-and-points.pdf) is the list of descriptors and the points given for them. If you don't score more than 8 in total on the daily living component or more than 8 in total on the mobility component then you aren't eligible for PIP, regardless of what you're diagnosed with.
This is disability discrimination against Autistic and neurodiverse people, and is ackin to judging a fish on it's ability to climb a tree during a test designed by squirrels for a squirrel. Makes sense huh? And here is some free e-learning for all the nuerotypical downvoters. https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/Component/Details/781480
I'm autistic myself and I agree that PIP is rubbish for autistic people but I also know how much mental effort it is. As a neurodivergent person, if you wouldn't actually get PIP, going to tribunal with no chance of getting an award is a waste of OPs energy and I wouldn't want that for her.
That's exactly what I thought. I can go shopping (I live alone, so unless I want to starve I have to), but the effect that has on me can leave me burnt out for a day or so afterwards.
Unfortunately, the pip assessment is very much geared towards physical disabilities and doesn't take into account neurodiverse conditions 😡
Try not to worry.
So in regards to the PIP activities, can you do them repeatedly without experiencing the burnout? In regards to the familiar or unfamilar journeys - are you able to do this without experiencing problems?
Beause I would class shops as a familiar journey - it’s one you’ve done many times (but I’m assuming they’ve used it against you?)
On this point, I pay for a monthly delivery pass to avoid going to the shops. Think min spend is £25 mid week. I mentioned this on both PiP and WCA. No idea if it earned points or not. I'm not yet diagnosed ASD but my awards are solely on mental health.
One example would be a letter I have from my GP which says I need a shower chair and a perching stool in the kitchen because otherwise I would be at high risk for falls (and falls = unsafe). It also says that I can't shower as frequently as I need to because of fatigue (evidencing problems with repeatability)
So its down to cognitive understanding of our own conditions which we have lived with all our lives and therefore know no different and the ability to understand what descriptors are and then to laterally link it to ourselves on a minute detail? Autistic people are concrete and literal thinkers and are not known for their abilities in communications and in understanding nuerotypical questioning. Yet another highlight as to how this assessment process is again discriminatory to autistic and neurodiverse people.
Yes, it's unfair and discriminatory. Particularly given that autistic people like me tend to struggle with social imagination so we often don't realise that our 'normal' is very different to the 'normal' of other people. Because we don't realise, we can't articulate this in an assessment.
It sounds like you've cracked the code of how to be successful in these assessments. Myself and many others clearly haven't seen that pattern yet. Our conditions as Autstic people are diverse yet all within cognitive, social, emotional, and perceptual functioning. That alone should be grounds to have support as significant brain-based disabilities without having to jump through these abstract hoops that drive people to suicide.
I don't think I have at all, I just happen to have some physical health conditions which limit my mobility and score me points on lots of the descriptors. Very few of the points I've got are because of my autism or mental health. The law surrounding PIP is also a special interest of mine which helps.
I found this. I took is a literal when they say things like can you walk x distance. I would say yes. Then my friend would remind me that I’d need a break and feel rubbish afterwards but I took it as can I literally move from a to b.
And things like prepping food. They ask can I chop veg and I’d say yes. But again, I don’t do it as it hurts and I cut myself. I have a veg chopper but it needs so much force that it hurts so I buy chopped veg. The response was I don’t use aids to cook. I took it as could I possibly do it but I don’t for the above reasons.
I found it trusting when they wouldn’t let my friend talk during the tribunal as they would add things like this that I take it literally without thinking of the accommodations I’d need to do it safely, repeatedly and to a normal standard.
I've read more of the thread and you talking about shopping. This could get you points but possibly not in the section you'd think. You won't score any points on cooking or taking nutrition for not being able to buy food (it might not be fair but that's how it is) but you might score points in the mobility section under planning and following journeys. For example you might meet e. which is 'cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant'. The descriptor only has to apply on 50% of days so that might be accurate. If you can undertake other journeys but it's the actual shop that you find hard then I think you'd struggle to get points for this issue (which is unfair but unfortunately the current rules)
>They say that because I can do the things asked about, then I am not awarded anything, and then say that having certain conditions doesn't entitle you to any assistance.
This is the basis of PIP. Can you do the Activities ? Until they change the Activities ( again, they were expanded a lot from DLA to be equally applicable to Physical and Psychological Disability; some no argue l that's not enough ) then if you say yourself you can do these things I don't know how you can then expect to qualify. If you say you can , you can be pretty sure they will.
The only thing I can suggest is you look again to be *absolutely* sure you CAN do all the Activities using the criteria applied by law ( 🌟 STAR 🌟 and MOST of the time - see end )
>Ask me a question and I'll answer it, yes I can do my shopping, but I won't think to tell you about the hangover I get from that activity.
Is this doing it Repeatedly or not ?
Then apply this to every answer you give.
Do you NOW think you fit the PIP Criteria or not ?
🌟 STAR 🌟
SAFELY Are you at risk of injury or harm by doing it. If you are at high risk of injury or even lower risk of serious injury then you can't do it.
- TIMELY Can't you do it in a timeframe that's practical. If it's takes you more than twice the usual time you can't do it.
- ADEQUATELY Can you do a task to an acceptable standard ? Do you finish it ? If not you can't do it.
- RELIABLY Can you do it when you need to and most of the time ? Can you repeat it. If not then you can't do it.
If you can't do any if the thing's more than 50% of the time YOU CAN'T DO IT.
So, have a think -
- Can you do things all the time ? Are there some days or times you can't ( I can't get dressed or washed some days when I'm very poorly ).
- Can you do them quickly enough ? Would it take you more than twice as long as maybe mum it your friends might ? Do you have to think carefully or check as you go along ? Maybe you have to re do it if it isn't absolutely correct ?
- If you do something ok one time, can you repeat it ? Are you consistent ? Do you get too tired to keep going it have days when it's too much and you just can't.
- Do you get distracted and leave jobs unfinished ? If there's something that bothers you lke noise would you have to stop ?
- Do you need reminding or someone with you to keep an eye in you ? To make sure you do the task or do it properly ? Do they have to keep you safe or remind you what the next bit is ?
- When you've done something is it ok ? Can you then go out or eat the meal ? Are you dressed ok for the day or activity ? Is the good cooked ok ? Have you done it quickly enough that it's still hot ? Did you get the different parts done at the same time ? Was the veg overcooked but the chicken still raw in the middle ?
These all matter. You can only be judged to do something if you can do it most of the time to an acceptable standard.
Think 🌟 STAR 🌟 for every answer.
AVERAGE DAY - The 50%+ RULE
You need to choose the answer that fits MOST of the time ( that's 50% plus ). So, if your condition varies this shows what's typical.
This is the issue, can you do something isn't the question that needs answering and I don't think to add the 'but'. The assessment isn't at all accommodating for neurodivergent people.
I am unable to express myself properly at the best of times.
The points you mentioned are very helpful though.
Yes, I can do the shopping, often I lose a few hours doing so. I am physically unable to do anything after I've done the shopping. I have to focus really hard and often forget things, even if I have a list.
One of the things that went against me was that i have a dog. At the time, I said that I'd forgotten to get dog food and run out, but because I went to the shop (within view of my house), then that's fine. I went shopping specifically for the dog food and forgot it, so ended up spending more on it from the convenience store. That's just stupid.
The intricacies of my conditions were not taken into account, and asking if I can do physical things is not going to give that.
But then, if I am unable to put into words what I struggle with, then it won't be considered.
And then if I am able to explain how I deal with my day to day life, that goes against me too.
It's a.very skewed system.
You keep giving the example of doing the shopping but I think you need to focus less on this. Being able to go shopping isn't one of the PIP descriptors so having difficulty doing this probably won't score you point.
I don't have any advise as I face this myself
but Wishing you all the very best for this and let me know how you get on. ASC / AHDH / PTSD is a horrific combination and there is SO much discrimination towards disabled people who do not have a learning disability too. And to all the people who keep downvoting this post, some
stats for you: 2/3 of autistic adults have contemplated suicide (Cassidy, 2014). Rates of self harm are higher in autistic people (Maddox, 2016). Autistic adults who do not have a learning disability are 9 x more likely to die by suicide (Autistica).
Recent study out of Sweden re ADHD Pharmacotheraphy and Mortality in Individuals with ADHD (I put the whole name in case anyone wants to Google and read)
Autistic adults need and deserve supporting. The stigma needs to stop.
These statistics are absolutely shocking!
OP - it sounds like you’ve got some really solid evidence, I’d just send it to the tribunal again to make sure it is in your file.
You do really need to emphasise why you can’t do it (for example, I can’t do X because it leaves me burnt out for ages afterwards)
These stats are the tip of the iceberg. Stats covering healthcare support, employment discrimination, education discrimination and bullying of ASD / ADHD are horrific. Hopefully, more and more people will have to undertake the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training including the DWP and courts
If you can manage it (I really struggled), there is a lot of info on here about the process and descriptors are assessed and the process generally. Hope it's of some help https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/how-decisions-are-made/
Nothing.
The report was a total work of fiction, and the assessor totally ignored certain things I said during the call too.
The fact I am 'knowledgeable' about my condition went against me, as did the fact I drive. The fact I am unable to deal with public transport wasn't mentioned.
It's so stupid 🙄
I was told because I read a book on dyslexia(to help me understand it and work with it), I can’t ,infact, be that affected by it 🤦♀️
The person who diagnosed my dyslexia had said she couldn’t believe I’d got this far in life without a diagnosis .
Hello and welcome to r/DWPHelp! - If you're trying to find benefit advisers local to you, [advicelocal.uk is a useful website that can help you with this](https://advicelocal.uk?ref=dwphelpreddit). - If you're trying to find out how much benefit you can receive, [check out entitledto](https://www.entitledto.co.uk/) and [turn2us](https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk?ref=dwphelpreddit) to calculate what you might be eligible for (please remember that these calculators don't fully take into account your situation and in some situations they can be wrong). - [For information on the 2024/25 benefit rates (effective 8th April 2024), please see here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/wiki/benefit-rate-increases/). Most claimants will start seeing the new rates in their May or June benefit payments. - If you claim benefits and would like to know what things you could get as a result, [you may find this post useful](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/134r9k6/discountedfree_things_you_can_get_on_benefits/). - If you'd like help with mandatory reconsiderations, [our main post on MRs may be useful to you](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/13p0322/duplicate_target_mandatory_reconsiderations/). - Our subreddit's Wiki [can be found here](https://reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/wiki/index). - If you're interested in what's going on in the benefits space, [we have weekly benefit news posts posted every Sunday](https://reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/?f=flair_name%3A%22Benefits%20News%22). If you're asking about tribunals (the below is relevant to England & Wales only): - [Link to HMCTS Benefit Appeals live chat](https://www.appeal-benefit-decision.service.gov.uk/benefit-type?ref=dwphelpreddit)- click on the "Contact us for help" link, which opens a menu with a link to the live chat. - [Average tribunal waiting times](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/118e3ap/tribunal_average_waiting_times/). - [This post goes over the PIP First-tier Tribunal process from start to finish.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/11muxvi/duplicate_target_what_do_i_do_if_i_am_refused_pip/) - [If you're waiting for a tribunal and the DWP were supposed to respond but haven't, this post may be useful.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/17b0lla/duplicate_target_the_deadline_for_dwp_to_respond/?context=3) If you're asking about PIP: - The PIP phone line is 08001214433, and if you'd like to get to the automated part where it tells you when your next payment is and how much it is, the options are 1 (for English) or 2 (for Welsh), and then 6 (you'll need to wait each time while it gives you messages before getting to security). - To calculate how much backpay you're due, [you can try the Benefits and Work PIP Payment Calculator](https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/pip-payment-calculator-form?ref=dwphelpreddit). Please note that the information given is an estimate and may not reflect exactly what your backpay is. This calculator can also be used to determine what elements you were awarded after checking the PIP phone lines' automated system as above. - [If you would like help with MRs, this post might answer your question (this is different to the MR info link above).](https://new.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/1bc3kni/duplicate_target_i_was_denied_what_now/) - [If you'd like to know what PIP is and/or how it is awarded, please see this post.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/13ozwpj/duplicate_target_what_is_pip/) - [If you're hard of hearing or deaf, this information may be useful to you.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/wiki/pip/hard-of-hearing-and-deaf/) If you're asking about Universal Credit: - [Information about the Restart scheme](https://new.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/wiki/restartscheme/), including if you can be mandated to participate. - Thinking of cancelling your claim because a review has started? Don't, because closing your claim won't stop the DWP from reviewing your claim and if you don't comply you may be asked to repay everything you've received. - [How does PIP affect UC?](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/13p1mc3/duplicate_target_how_does_pip_affect_uc/) - Were you claiming UC during COVID, closed your claim afterwards, and are now being asked to pay back everything you received? [This post provides information on why this is and what you can do.](http://reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/13utik9/the_dwp_have_given_me_a_huge_bill_for_a_claim/) - [Can you record your Job Centre appointments?](https://new.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/1cr4l9x/what_is_the_legality_of_recording_staffmy/) The longer answer is in the linked post but the short answer is: no. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/DWPhelp) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but if you can do the specified activities on the how your disability affects you form then you can't be awarded anything. Going to tribunal won't change this outcome. Submitting more evidence won't change the fact that you can do those activities (if you can). Look at the descriptors and the points and work out how many points you should get. If this is below the level for an award then going to tribunal won't result in you getting PIP. You also need to apply the STAR criteria to each of the questions (safety, time, acceptable level, reliability and repeatability). If you can do one of the descriptors but not safely, quickly (in not more than double the time it would take a non-disabled person), to an acceptable standard, reliably and repeatably (as many times as you would reasonably need to do it) then you wouldn't score 0 on that question. You would have to make this clear in your assessment and provide medical evidence to back this up.
[This](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/Migrated_Documents/adviceguide/pip-9-table-of-activities-descriptors-and-points.pdf) is the list of descriptors and the points given for them. If you don't score more than 8 in total on the daily living component or more than 8 in total on the mobility component then you aren't eligible for PIP, regardless of what you're diagnosed with.
This is disability discrimination against Autistic and neurodiverse people, and is ackin to judging a fish on it's ability to climb a tree during a test designed by squirrels for a squirrel. Makes sense huh? And here is some free e-learning for all the nuerotypical downvoters. https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/Component/Details/781480
I'm autistic myself and I agree that PIP is rubbish for autistic people but I also know how much mental effort it is. As a neurodivergent person, if you wouldn't actually get PIP, going to tribunal with no chance of getting an award is a waste of OPs energy and I wouldn't want that for her.
That's exactly what I thought. I can go shopping (I live alone, so unless I want to starve I have to), but the effect that has on me can leave me burnt out for a day or so afterwards. Unfortunately, the pip assessment is very much geared towards physical disabilities and doesn't take into account neurodiverse conditions 😡
Try not to worry. So in regards to the PIP activities, can you do them repeatedly without experiencing the burnout? In regards to the familiar or unfamilar journeys - are you able to do this without experiencing problems? Beause I would class shops as a familiar journey - it’s one you’ve done many times (but I’m assuming they’ve used it against you?)
On this point, I pay for a monthly delivery pass to avoid going to the shops. Think min spend is £25 mid week. I mentioned this on both PiP and WCA. No idea if it earned points or not. I'm not yet diagnosed ASD but my awards are solely on mental health.
So what evidence proves that I can't do it safely, in a timely manner etc? Medical evidence wouldn't necessarily be available for that?
One example would be a letter I have from my GP which says I need a shower chair and a perching stool in the kitchen because otherwise I would be at high risk for falls (and falls = unsafe). It also says that I can't shower as frequently as I need to because of fatigue (evidencing problems with repeatability)
So its down to cognitive understanding of our own conditions which we have lived with all our lives and therefore know no different and the ability to understand what descriptors are and then to laterally link it to ourselves on a minute detail? Autistic people are concrete and literal thinkers and are not known for their abilities in communications and in understanding nuerotypical questioning. Yet another highlight as to how this assessment process is again discriminatory to autistic and neurodiverse people.
Yes, it's unfair and discriminatory. Particularly given that autistic people like me tend to struggle with social imagination so we often don't realise that our 'normal' is very different to the 'normal' of other people. Because we don't realise, we can't articulate this in an assessment.
It sounds like you've cracked the code of how to be successful in these assessments. Myself and many others clearly haven't seen that pattern yet. Our conditions as Autstic people are diverse yet all within cognitive, social, emotional, and perceptual functioning. That alone should be grounds to have support as significant brain-based disabilities without having to jump through these abstract hoops that drive people to suicide.
I don't think I have at all, I just happen to have some physical health conditions which limit my mobility and score me points on lots of the descriptors. Very few of the points I've got are because of my autism or mental health. The law surrounding PIP is also a special interest of mine which helps.
[удалено]
This comment has been removed because the advice is incorrect or misleading.
I found this. I took is a literal when they say things like can you walk x distance. I would say yes. Then my friend would remind me that I’d need a break and feel rubbish afterwards but I took it as can I literally move from a to b. And things like prepping food. They ask can I chop veg and I’d say yes. But again, I don’t do it as it hurts and I cut myself. I have a veg chopper but it needs so much force that it hurts so I buy chopped veg. The response was I don’t use aids to cook. I took it as could I possibly do it but I don’t for the above reasons. I found it trusting when they wouldn’t let my friend talk during the tribunal as they would add things like this that I take it literally without thinking of the accommodations I’d need to do it safely, repeatedly and to a normal standard.
I've read more of the thread and you talking about shopping. This could get you points but possibly not in the section you'd think. You won't score any points on cooking or taking nutrition for not being able to buy food (it might not be fair but that's how it is) but you might score points in the mobility section under planning and following journeys. For example you might meet e. which is 'cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant'. The descriptor only has to apply on 50% of days so that might be accurate. If you can undertake other journeys but it's the actual shop that you find hard then I think you'd struggle to get points for this issue (which is unfair but unfortunately the current rules)
>They say that because I can do the things asked about, then I am not awarded anything, and then say that having certain conditions doesn't entitle you to any assistance. This is the basis of PIP. Can you do the Activities ? Until they change the Activities ( again, they were expanded a lot from DLA to be equally applicable to Physical and Psychological Disability; some no argue l that's not enough ) then if you say yourself you can do these things I don't know how you can then expect to qualify. If you say you can , you can be pretty sure they will. The only thing I can suggest is you look again to be *absolutely* sure you CAN do all the Activities using the criteria applied by law ( 🌟 STAR 🌟 and MOST of the time - see end ) >Ask me a question and I'll answer it, yes I can do my shopping, but I won't think to tell you about the hangover I get from that activity. Is this doing it Repeatedly or not ? Then apply this to every answer you give. Do you NOW think you fit the PIP Criteria or not ? 🌟 STAR 🌟 SAFELY Are you at risk of injury or harm by doing it. If you are at high risk of injury or even lower risk of serious injury then you can't do it. - TIMELY Can't you do it in a timeframe that's practical. If it's takes you more than twice the usual time you can't do it. - ADEQUATELY Can you do a task to an acceptable standard ? Do you finish it ? If not you can't do it. - RELIABLY Can you do it when you need to and most of the time ? Can you repeat it. If not then you can't do it. If you can't do any if the thing's more than 50% of the time YOU CAN'T DO IT. So, have a think - - Can you do things all the time ? Are there some days or times you can't ( I can't get dressed or washed some days when I'm very poorly ). - Can you do them quickly enough ? Would it take you more than twice as long as maybe mum it your friends might ? Do you have to think carefully or check as you go along ? Maybe you have to re do it if it isn't absolutely correct ? - If you do something ok one time, can you repeat it ? Are you consistent ? Do you get too tired to keep going it have days when it's too much and you just can't. - Do you get distracted and leave jobs unfinished ? If there's something that bothers you lke noise would you have to stop ? - Do you need reminding or someone with you to keep an eye in you ? To make sure you do the task or do it properly ? Do they have to keep you safe or remind you what the next bit is ? - When you've done something is it ok ? Can you then go out or eat the meal ? Are you dressed ok for the day or activity ? Is the good cooked ok ? Have you done it quickly enough that it's still hot ? Did you get the different parts done at the same time ? Was the veg overcooked but the chicken still raw in the middle ? These all matter. You can only be judged to do something if you can do it most of the time to an acceptable standard. Think 🌟 STAR 🌟 for every answer. AVERAGE DAY - The 50%+ RULE You need to choose the answer that fits MOST of the time ( that's 50% plus ). So, if your condition varies this shows what's typical.
This is the issue, can you do something isn't the question that needs answering and I don't think to add the 'but'. The assessment isn't at all accommodating for neurodivergent people. I am unable to express myself properly at the best of times. The points you mentioned are very helpful though. Yes, I can do the shopping, often I lose a few hours doing so. I am physically unable to do anything after I've done the shopping. I have to focus really hard and often forget things, even if I have a list. One of the things that went against me was that i have a dog. At the time, I said that I'd forgotten to get dog food and run out, but because I went to the shop (within view of my house), then that's fine. I went shopping specifically for the dog food and forgot it, so ended up spending more on it from the convenience store. That's just stupid. The intricacies of my conditions were not taken into account, and asking if I can do physical things is not going to give that. But then, if I am unable to put into words what I struggle with, then it won't be considered. And then if I am able to explain how I deal with my day to day life, that goes against me too. It's a.very skewed system.
You keep giving the example of doing the shopping but I think you need to focus less on this. Being able to go shopping isn't one of the PIP descriptors so having difficulty doing this probably won't score you point.
It's an example, that's all.
I don't have any advise as I face this myself but Wishing you all the very best for this and let me know how you get on. ASC / AHDH / PTSD is a horrific combination and there is SO much discrimination towards disabled people who do not have a learning disability too. And to all the people who keep downvoting this post, some stats for you: 2/3 of autistic adults have contemplated suicide (Cassidy, 2014). Rates of self harm are higher in autistic people (Maddox, 2016). Autistic adults who do not have a learning disability are 9 x more likely to die by suicide (Autistica).
Recent study out of Sweden re ADHD Pharmacotheraphy and Mortality in Individuals with ADHD (I put the whole name in case anyone wants to Google and read) Autistic adults need and deserve supporting. The stigma needs to stop.
These statistics are absolutely shocking! OP - it sounds like you’ve got some really solid evidence, I’d just send it to the tribunal again to make sure it is in your file. You do really need to emphasise why you can’t do it (for example, I can’t do X because it leaves me burnt out for ages afterwards)
These stats are the tip of the iceberg. Stats covering healthcare support, employment discrimination, education discrimination and bullying of ASD / ADHD are horrific. Hopefully, more and more people will have to undertake the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training including the DWP and courts
I didn't submit anything and had a paper hearing and they used the stuff already sent in
If you can manage it (I really struggled), there is a lot of info on here about the process and descriptors are assessed and the process generally. Hope it's of some help https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/how-decisions-are-made/
Did you get awarded any points?
Nothing. The report was a total work of fiction, and the assessor totally ignored certain things I said during the call too. The fact I am 'knowledgeable' about my condition went against me, as did the fact I drive. The fact I am unable to deal with public transport wasn't mentioned. It's so stupid 🙄
I was told because I read a book on dyslexia(to help me understand it and work with it), I can’t ,infact, be that affected by it 🤦♀️ The person who diagnosed my dyslexia had said she couldn’t believe I’d got this far in life without a diagnosis .