Child DLA for Specific Conditions: Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome and More

Every condition is assessed on care needs, not diagnosis

Child DLA doesn't have a list of qualifying conditions. The decision-maker assesses whether your child needs substantially more care, supervision, or mobility support than a non-disabled child of the same age. But knowing how your child's specific condition translates into DLA criteria helps you describe the right things on the form.

Epilepsy

Children with epilepsy often qualify through night-time watching — a parent staying awake or sleeping lightly to monitor for nocturnal seizures. Daytime supervision needs also count: the risk of a seizure during bathing, swimming, or climbing; the need for someone to administer rescue medication; and recovery time after a seizure that requires direct care.

Record seizure frequency, duration, what happens during and after each episode, and how your supervision differs from what a non-epileptic child needs. Attach seizure monitoring logs and neurology letters.

Cerebral palsy

Physical care needs are usually the strongest part of a cerebral palsy claim. Describe exactly what your child cannot do independently — washing, dressing, toileting, transferring between furniture, feeding — and how long each assist takes compared to an age-matched peer. Mobility component evidence should focus on walking distance before severe discomfort, reliance on walking aids, and wheelchair use.

Wheelchair use alone does not establish entitlement to higher-rate mobility; the child must meet one of its legal tests. For a child who walks, explain the distance, speed, time, and manner they can walk without severe discomfort, and whether the effort would put their life at risk or be likely to lead to serious deterioration in health.

Down syndrome

Children with Down syndrome often have a combination of learning disability, speech and language delay, and physical health conditions (heart defects, hearing loss, thyroid problems) that together generate substantial extra care needs. Focus on the overall package: personal care help beyond what peers need, constant supervision in unfamiliar settings, prompting through every step of daily routines, and medical monitoring.

Many children with Down syndrome qualify from a young age because the developmental gap against non-disabled peers is already visible.

Diabetes (Type 1)

Night-time blood glucose monitoring is often the strongest evidence for a diabetes claim. If you wake to check levels, administer insulin, or treat hypos at night, record every episode. Daytime care includes supervising meals, managing insulin pumps or injections, and monitoring for hypoglycaemia at school.

A child whose diabetes is well-controlled still needs the care to keep it that way — the DWP assesses the care required, not the outcome of that care.

Anxiety and mental health conditions

Children with severe anxiety may need constant reassurance, supervision to prevent self-harm, physical accompaniment everywhere outside the home, and intensive settling routines at bedtime. The difficulty is that these needs are invisible — the DLA form is where you make them concrete.

Describe the specific behaviours: how many times your child needs reassurance during a task, what happens if you leave the room, how long settling takes each night, whether they can be left alone at an age when their peers can be.

Sensory processing disorder

SPD creates care needs that parents often don't recognise as "care" — but they are. Preparing specific-texture foods, removing clothing tags, providing a calm-down space after sensory overload, supervising transitions between environments, and managing meltdowns triggered by noise, light, or touch can be relevant when they require extra attention in connection with bodily functions or supervision to avoid substantial danger, beyond what a child of the same age normally needs.

A care diary is particularly important for SPD because the episodes can be brief but frequent throughout the day.

Document the daily reality

The Child DLA Claim Guide walks you through mapping any condition's daily care needs onto the DLA form, with worked examples and diary templates. Condition-specific charity guides are also available free — Cerebra, the Children's Heart Federation, Crohn's & Colitis UK, and the National Autistic Society all publish DLA guidance for their communities.

See more United Kingdom guides →