ADHD & Disability Living Allowance

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a learning disorder often diagnosed in children. Symptoms of ADHD may include difficulty with concentration and focus, constant activity, impulsiveness and aggressiveness. In the United Kingdom, some families who have a child with ADHD qualify for a disability living allowance.

Significance

• A family seeking a DLA must meet certain criteria. Generally, the family must prove that the child's mental age causes him to require more care than other children of his chronological age.

Function

• Families may receive a DLA in two forms: mobility allowance and care allowance. The amount of allowance received depends on the child's relative function in terms of mobility and care. The family of a child who needs constant supervision and care may receive a higher amount for care allowance.The mobility and care allowances require separate claims. A family or individual may qualify for both allowances or either of them.

Criticism

• The development of the disability living allowance has not been without criticism. An article in the January 2006 issue of "The Daily Mail" reported that the availability of DLAs might be fueling "an astonishing rise in the number" of children diagnosed with the condition.

Concern

• Families "receive little formal guidance on ways of using DLA money to support children with ADHD," according to a report in the December 2008 issue of "Care, Health and Development." The author of the article noted that in the absence of such guidance, parents use allowances primarily to provide much-needed recreational activities and to replace items damaged by their children.