Child Disability Payment: GP questions guidance for supporting information requests

In this section we ask about any conditions and sensory issues the child or young person has.
We consider these details in relation to what’s expected at the child or young person’s age.

If you’re waiting for the results of a test or diagnosis, you can tell us about any symptoms they have and how they are affected.
Sensory issues could include anything that affects their:

• learning ability
• sight
• hearing
• speech
• development
• behaviour
• physical ability
• mental wellbeing.
  

Examples of some conditions you might want to add:

• learning difficulties
• behavioural disorder
• hyperkinetic syndrome
• neurological diseases
• epilepsy
• skin disease
• psychoneurosis
• cystic fibrosis
• bowel and stomach disease
• selective mutism
• autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
• glue ear
• cholesteatoma
• auditory processing disorder (APD)
• microtia and atresia
• optic atrophy
• disorders of the optic nerve or retina
• blood disorders.

For example: do their symptoms result in issues that prevent then learning, such as memory issues, trouble concentrating or emotional distress?

For example:

• blindness
• partial sight (sight impaired)
• visual processing difficulties (cerebral or cortical visual impairment)
• cannot see letters on a computer keyboard
• cannot see large print in book, reader or screen
• cannot see single words displayed one at a time
• cannot see what is happening on screen in a tv show
• cannot see what they are having for dinner
• cannot see something that moves slowly
• cannot see something that moves quickly
• cannot see large shapes, such as furniture
• cannot see small shapes, such as toys or pencils
• cannot see shapes and movement in low light
• cannot recognise someone’s face close to them
• cannot recognise someone’s face across the room
• other difficulties seeing.

For example:

• moderate hearing loss
• mild hearing loss
• profound hearing loss
• severe hearing loss
• cannot hear a whisper in a quiet room
• cannot hear a normal voice in a quiet room
• cannot hear a loud voice in a quiet room
• cannot hear TV, radio or CD except at a very loud volume
• cannot hear a school bell or car horn
• other difficulties hearing.

You can tell us if the help needed can vary at different times or situations. You can include any physical or mental problems caused by their hearing or what they can hear.

For example:

• cannot speak clearly in sentences
• cannot put words together to make simple sentences
• cannot speak single words
• cannot communicate through speech with someone they know
• cannot communicate through speech with someone they don’t know
• other difficulties speaking.

Tell us if the help needed can vary at different times or situations.

You can also tell us if the child or young person’s symptoms may also result in non-verbal communication.

For example:

• writing
• BSL (British Sign Language)
• lip-reading
• hand movements, facial expressions
• Makaton
• Signalong
• sign supported English (SSE)
• signed English (SE)
• picture exchange communication system (PECS)
• Tadoma
• other ways of communicating
• cannot communicate with someone they know
• cannot communicate with someone they do not know.

Tell us if the help needed can vary at different times or situations. You can also tell us about anything we have not listed in the examples.

For example:

• If the child or young person has language delay
• If the child or young person has memorisation issues.
• If the child or young person has problems maintaining concentration/attention

For example:

• is the child or young person walking or moving with low confidence?
• is the child or young person anxious about moving independently?
• is the child or young person slow to develop walking or to learn how to feed themselves?
• does the child or young person need one-to-one assistance?

For example:

• is the child or young person confident in an environment without a direct carer?
• is the child or young person frightened of going out to play on their own in unfamiliar environments?
• is the child or young person receiving support or in need of support for psychological needs?

You can also include other conditions and sensory issues that may not be in the examples. Include the type of issues they have, how this affects them and any help or support they need because of these issues.

Examples of sensory issues might include issues with:

• touch
• food or taste
• smells
• bright lights
• loud noises.

In this section we ask about any help, support or care the child or young person needs during the day or night, including: physical support, like helping them with equipment or:

• eating and drinking
• going to the toilet
• washing themselves.

And non-physical support, like:

• checking their safety
• helping them
• prompting them to do something.

Examples of fits, seizures or blackouts include:

• epileptic fits
• non-epileptic fits
• febrile fits
• faints
• absences
• loss of consciousness
• ‘hypos’ or hypoglycaemic attacks.

You can also tell us things like whether the child or young person can recognise warning signs and tell an adult or recognise warning signs and take action on their own.

You can tell us whether the child or young person:

• has been seriously injured because of a fit, seizure or blackout
• has no warning signs
• needs supervision immediately after a fit, seizure or blackout
• is unable to communicate warning signs
• needs someone to encourage, prompt or watch over them.

Include how seriously they can be affected and how often it can happen.

Washing

You can tell us about the help the child or young person needs going to or using the toilet during the day. You can include how often they need help and how long it can take doing things like:

• having a wash
• cleaning their teeth
• washing their hair
• getting in or out of the bath or shower
• cleaning themselves in the bath or shower
• drying themselves after a bath or shower
• checking their appearance
• whether they need someone to encourage, prompt or watch over them.

Eating or drinking

You can tell us about the help the child or young person needs eating or drinking. You can include how often they need help and how long it can take.

You can also tell us things like whether they:

• are unable to eat or drink without support
• need supervision when eating or drinking
• are tube or pump fed
• can use a spoon
• need their food cut up on their plate
• can drink using a cup
• need someone to encourage, prompt or watch over them.

Tell us if the help needed can vary at different times or in different situations.

You should include how often they need help and how long it can take.

This may include any issues they have moving around in their home, a friend’s home, school or anywhere else inside. (Chairs can also mean wheelchairs.)

Below are some examples of things they might have issues with:

• going up or down stairs
• moving around safely
• getting into or out of a chair
• no sense of danger or risks
• needing someone to encourage, prompt or watch over them.

You should include how often they need help and how long it can take. For example, tell us if the help or support needed can vary at different times or situations.

You can also include further variations such as whether the child or young person falls when moving around indoors or outdoors resulting in the following or similar:

• pain
• having to go to hospital
• upset or distress for them
• being unable get up without help
• other affects.

You should include how often they need help and how long it can take.

Examples of some hobbies:

• drawing, painting and crafts
• reading
• playing computer games
• playing board games
• after-school activities or clubs
• swimming
• youth clubs or groups
• other social activities or hobbies.

Examples of activities:

• changing clothes for activities
• eating
• taking medication or doing therapy
• communicating or understanding instructions
• taking part in class activities
• help or support with their toilet needs
• learning and educational.

Include who helps them, if they need more or less support than at home and if any help they need is not available at school or nursery.

If they do not take part in any activities, you can tell us about any activities or hobbies they would do if the right help or support was available.

This could include needing someone to keep an eye on them because of how they feel or behave, or how they react to people and things around them.

Supervision might include:

• help to recognise and react to common dangers
• help to cope with planned changes to the daily routine
• help to cope with unplanned changes to the daily routine
• they need someone to encourage, prompt or watch over them.

For example, tell us if the supervision needed can vary at different times or situations.

You could include how often they need supervision and how long it can take.

Night

(Night begins when you got to bed. For example, if the child or young person goes to bed at 7pm and you go to bed at 10pm. then night begins at 10pm.)

Help or support might include the child or young person needing help:

• getting out of or back into bed
• moving around
• help or support with their toilet needs
• getting cleaned up or changing clothes
• taking medicine
• monitoring or managing equipment
• other help or support.

You can include who helps them, if they need more or less support than during the day and how often and how long it can take.

Day

(Day begins when you get up. For example, if you get up at 6am and the child or young person gets up at 8am then day begins at 6am.)

Help or support might include the child needing help:

• going to the toilet
• managing a catheter, ostomy or stoma
• managing nappies or pads
• getting on or off the toilet
• managing clothes
• getting dressed
• getting undressed
• managing zips, buttons or other fastenings
• choosing the right clothes
• they need someone to encourage, prompt or watch over them
• other help or support

Getting in and out of bed

You can tell us if the help needed can vary at different times or in different situations.

They may need help:

• waking up
• getting into bed
• getting out of bed
• settling in bed.

This could include information about:

• their development
• understanding things around them
• recognising surroundings
• following instructions
• playing with others
• playing on their own
• joining in activities with others
• behaving appropriately
• needing someone to encourage, prompt or watch over them
• other help or support.

For example, you can tell us if the supervision needed can vary at different times or situations.

You can then tell us about your choices, or add other descriptions of the help they need with their development.

You should include how often they need help and how long it can take.

In this section, we ask about any medication the child or young person needs. You can tell us how often they need each medication and the level of support they need to take them.

If you answer is Yes, you can tell us:

• the name of the medication
• the condition or symptom the medication is for
• the dosage
• how often they take it
• how they take it (for example, orally or by IV).

You should write down as many as you need.

For example:

• Ritalin, 50mg, once a day

Medication can include:

• pills
• capsules
• tablets
• creams
• injections
• salves
• remedies
• medicated wraps
• inhalers
• patches
• over the counter remedies.

For example:

• Someone else has to prepare it or give it to them?

Side effects can be anything that affects their daily life because of the medication, but that would not happen if they did not take the medication.

This could be anything we haven’t mentioned that you think may be relevant.

In this section we ask about any equipment the child or young person uses or any changes made to their house.

Equipment could support their physical, sensory or emotional needs. They could use these at home, at school or anywhere else.

For example:

• hoists
• splints
• walking frames
• wheelchairs
• assistive technology like screen readers
• learning aids like computer programmes
• sensory aids
• communication aids like picture exchange cards
• crutches
• buggies
• any other equipment or adaptation.

They could use these at home, at school or anywhere else.

Changes to their home could be a number of things.

For example:

• ramps
• slopes
• rails
• changes to the home or family car.

You can tell us how they use the equipment and what help they need to use it. You can add as many as you need.

Include what you have to do to help them in the home and if this can change from day to day. You should tell us how long it takes to give this support.

For example:

• glasses
• hearing aids
• cochlear implants
• any other equipment or adaptation.

For example:

• specific room layouts
• adapted lighting
• any other equipment or adaptation.

For example:

• ramps
• slopes
• rails
• changes to the family car
• any other change to their home.

This could be anything we haven’t mentioned that you think may be relevant.

In this section we ask about any treatments or therapies that the child or young person gets.

You can tell us how often they receive each treatment or therapy, how long it takes, and any help they need with them.

For example:

• chemotherapy, once a month, for two hours
• art therapy, once a week, for one hour.

Treatments and therapies can be given by:

• healthcare professionals
• the child or young person’s parent or guardian
• anyone involved in helping or supporting the child or young person.

Treatments and therapies can include:

• medical treatments like chemotherapy or dialysis
• counselling
• sessions to improve wellbeing like art therapy or working with animals
• cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
• hypnotherapy
• play therapy.

You can explain what you have to do to help them and if this can change from day to day.

For example:

• physiotherapy
• occupational therapy
• dialysis
• infusions
• any other medical treatment.

For example:

• counselling
• cognitive behaviour therapy
• any other mental health treatment.

For example:

• art therapy
• working with animals
• any other wellbeing activity.

This could be anything we haven’t mentioned that you think may be relevant.

In this section, we ask you about how much help or support the child or young person needs moving around outdoors.

For example:

• walks with support
• walks with a limp
• walks with an unusual gait
• walks on toes
• shuffles
• drags their leg
• has balance issues
• struggles to keep up with friends
• moves slowly
• other issues
• no issues
• is unable to walk outdoors under any circumstances
• is a full-time wheelchair user or is unable to leave the home at all
• some ability to walk but needs help or support for physical or emotional issues
• no physical, mental or emotional issues moving around outdoors.

Include if how they walk can vary at different times.

For example:

• all the time
• most of the time
• sometimes
• no
• never.

For example:

• physical issues
• mental health issues
• emotional issues
• sensory issues
• learning difficulties.

These issues could include some of the below examples:

• pain
• tired
• bleeding into joints
• broken bones
• pulled muscles
• breathing problems
• emotional distress
• confused
• put themselves in danger
• gets confused or lost
• other effects
• no effect
• become anxious
• display unpredictable behaviour
• runs away
• become a danger to self or others
• refuses to walk
• other issues.

Include how seriously they can be affected and how often it can happen.

For example, the child or young person may have difficulty:

• finding their way around places they know
• asking for and following directions
• walking safely next to a road
• crossing a road safely
• understanding common dangers
• other issues.

Or the child or young person may need guidance or supervision when moving around outside.

For example:

• all the time
• most of the time
• sometimes
• no
• never.

Include how seriously they can be affected and how often it can happen.

This is where you should tell us any information that might be harmful to the applicant.

For example:

• a prognosis that the applicant has not been told about
• test results that have not been discussed yet with the applicant.

For Social Security Scotland to be able to withhold the information, we need to know that the information is withheld because sharing it would cause the recipient serious mental and/or physical harm.

To qualify for Child Disability Payment, the child must:

• have had their conditions and symptoms for 3 months or more
• expect to have their conditions and symptoms for the next 6 months

Please give us any relevant details below. For example, if you understand a condition is likely to:

• get worse
• get better
• be variable