My son is autistic and does not want to have to speak to capita.

Hi Rthomas10

Are you your son's appointee? www.gov.uk/become-appointee-for-someone-claiming-benefits.  If you are then you can speak on his behalf, though many assessors try and insist they speak to the claimant.  If you are not his official appointee you can still take part in the assessment process, but it is unlikely unless you have provided evidence that for him to speak would cause him "overwhelming psychological distress" that you will be allowed to speak throughout the whole process. How much you are allowed to speak really does depend on the assessor and how much knowledge they have of conditions like Asperger Syndrome. In my experience, the health professional's knowledge is often limited. You could put in an appeal and ask if they will do a paper-based assessment, but it is very late and they may refuse. You could ask your MP to get involved, but obviously, you are running out of time. You could cancel the appointment and then go for a fight, but if you lose you would have to accept the next appointment, whether it is convenient or not, or your son's benefit would be at risk.

BIS