January is Application Season: DLA Tips for the New Year
For many families, the thought of applying for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) feels overwhelming — especially during busy months. That’s why January has quietly become application season: the time when many parents finally have the space, clarity, or emotional capacity to begin.
If you’ve ever said, “I’ll start the DLA form after Christmas,” you’re not alone — and you’re not behind. January is the perfect moment to take small, gentle steps forward.
Here’s how to begin the process without feeling overloaded.
1. Recognise the signs that it may be the right time to apply
For many families, the festive period highlights just how much support their child needs day-to-day.
You may be ready to apply if:
Your child’s care needs are consistently higher than other children their age
You provide constant supervision for safety
Daily routines require adult support (dressing, eating, regulating emotions)
Your child experiences sensory overwhelm that impacts daily life
School raises concerns or adjustments are being discussed
You, as a parent, feel exhausted from the level of support you’re giving
None of these are failures.
They are signals that your child may meet the criteria, and you deserve support.
2. Start with observations, not perfection
Many parents freeze because they don’t know where to start.
Here’s the truth: your everyday life is the evidence.
Begin by writing down:
Difficult moments or challenges
Any meltdowns or shutdowns and what triggered them
Sleep habits
How long tasks take and what help you provide
Any sensory difficulties
Emotional support needs
Times when you need to intervene for safety
You don’t need to word things perfectly.
Rough notes are more than enough at this stage — you can shape them later.
3. Break the form into small, manageable chunks
The DLA and PIP forms are long, but they don’t need to be completed in one go.
Try:
10–15 minutes a day
One question per day
Filling rough notes first, then refining
Doing the hardest sections on a day when you have support
Taking breaks as needed
Slow, gentle progress will get you there.
It’s not a race.
4. Focus on the areas the form actually measures
Parents often worry they’re “exaggerating” or “being negative.”
But the form is not asking about your child on their best days.
It’s asking about the support they need on an average or difficult day.
Important areas to include:
✔ Emotional & regulation support
How often do you support meltdowns, shutdowns, anxiety, or overwhelm?
✔ Supervision & safety
Do you need to watch them more closely than a typical child their age?
✔ Sensory needs
Do lights, sounds, transitions, clothing, or smells affect daily life?
✔ Eating, dressing, hygiene
Do they need help, prompting, or supervision?
✔ Communication & understanding
Does your child struggle to process, follow, or retain information?
✔ Behaviour
Not “naughtiness” — but dysregulation, distress, or shutdowns.
✔ Sleep
Frequent waking? Co-sleeping? Early rising? Difficulty settling?
Every detail helps the assessors understand your daily reality.
5. Ask for support when you need it
You don’t have to do this alone.
Reach out for help if you:
Feel emotionally overwhelmed
Don’t know how to phrase something
Want someone to read through your draft
Need clarity on what the questions really mean
Are unsure what evidence to include
Sometimes having someone by your side makes all the difference.
If you need help, Family Avenues offers gentle, step-by-step support to make the process clearer and less stressful — but there’s no pressure. Even free guidance can go a long way.
A gentle reminder to end on
Starting the form is always the hardest part.
Once you take the first step — even writing a single sentence — you’re already moving forward.
You are not behind.
You are not doing this too late.
You are doing what’s right for your family, in your own time.
And you don’t need to do it alone.