Zero points in PIP assessment

Hi Johnathon.

I can only reiterate the same advice given to you previously.
Take each descriptor at a time and state why you disagree with the DM and give an example of how your condition affects you for that descriptor.

So for example of the preparing food.
I do not know how your autism affects you personally but some examples of the difficulties some people with autism might face are ...

I lack confidence to try to cook a meal. This is because I have so much day to day anxiety it is better for my mental health for someone else to cook. because of my autism when I get overwhelmed with a task I will give up and am therefore not able to carry out the task reliably.

 I have never learnt how to cook a simple meal and therefore cannot carry out the task safely.

 I only eat toast or put some food from a tin into a pan and heat it.

 I get scared and anxious if someone was to suggest I attempt to cook a meal and due to autism become so overwhelmed and distressed that I refuse. Therefore I can not carry out the task reliably

 I need supervision in a kitchen as I will eat unsafe food sometimes because I do not check sell by dates

 I am completely intolerant of people being in the kitchen when I want to be there so I don’t go into the kitchen anymore

 I dislike being in the kitchen because I am afraid that I will make food unsafe if my hands are not clean enough and so I will only eat convenience foods like crisps and pot noodles if left to my own devices.

 I do not like to be in the kitchen as it may contain germs

 I often feel too tired to consider cooking as my low mood and anxiety make me sleepy

 I get too distracted in the kitchen to be able to safely cook

 I do not understand the need for a balanced diet so need supervision to help me cook

 If I don’t have all the exact ingredients I cannot think about cooking and I will not deviate from the recipe so I will give up and eat convenience food instead .

 I dislike eating foods with certain colours or textures so I frequently cannot cook

 I do not understand about food safety and sell by dates so lack the confidence to cook.

These are just some examples for you to think about.

Then give an example of how you do manage this task. I.e if a family member prepares food for you.
Or, if a family members assist you to make the food, or prompts you.
Or whether a family member cooks all your food for you that only requires you to then reheat it in a microwave.

Think about the descriptor and the difficulties that you face, give an example of this and then an example of how you manage it, be it with prompting or supervision or whether the task cannot be completed at all.

Then state at the end what points you believe you should have been awarded for the descriptor

I know it is difficult and daunting, but from reading what you have written previously. I think in your evidence you need to concentrate and be more clear on what you cant do, rather than give examples of what you have been able to do in the past, as that is what the DM will focus and seize upon.

Good luck with everything

Johnathon you might find this site helpful

Bristol Autism Spectrum Service

www.awp.nhs.uk/media/825665/w__social-ca...-15-october-2019.pdf

it gives examples for people with autism on how they might go about explaining their difficulties with certain activities and it is something that you might relate to

Hi all, I've spent some time looking at resources people have suggested and coming up with a letter to send them. I still need to go through the activities that I disagree with and list those but I have written the first part explaining why the justifications used decision are flawed. I'll post it here, sorry if its a bit long I really struggle to be concise and still get the point across. I don't think there is anything here that can easily identify me.

Dear Sir/Ms
MANDATORY RECONSIDERATION REQUEST
I request that you reconsider your decision dated 17th February 2022.
I believe that I provided enough evidence for a decision to be made that I am entitled to PIP at the rate of enhanced for daily living and standard for mobility.

The justifications given by the decision maker in their report show a lack of understanding of what it is like to live with Autism, Anxiety and Depression. Using the amount and type of treatment received as an indication of severity for mental health issues is deeply flawed, as these very same issues can make it extremely difficult to get help in the first place, and the level of help available very much depends on what services are available in your area.

I personally find it extremely difficult to reach out for help as I find the idea of speaking to someone about my problems extremely intimidating, and often struggle to express exactly what the problem is. Whenever I have had contact with my GP regarding my mental health or sought out other help it has always been initiated by my family noticing that something is wrong and making an appointment for me. In addition not knowing I am Autistic for most of my life has meant that I have found a lot of contact over the years with services offering treatments such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to be frustratingly unproductive as they never got to the root of why I had these difficulties and in some cases encouraged me to keep putting myself in situations I found extremely taxing at best with the idea of challenging the anxiety. Without the understanding that a lot of the anxiety comes from the difficulties presented by being autistic and not simple shyness this process has proved traumatic more often than helpful and left me wary of CBT.

In addition during a particularly intense period of anxiety and depression shortly after I submitted the PIP form last summer during which I had intense suicidal ideation my family contacted the mental health crisis team. As my family were there to supervise me and remove any means by which I could harm myself they did not consider it urgent enough to send someone out and when we were given an appointment to see a nurse he told myself and my mother that in his opinion the root cause of the problem I was having was my Autism and that unfortunately they are not commissioned to deal with that. This only made me feel worse as it genuinely felt like there was nowhere to turn to. We ended up having to contact the crisis line again and this time we saw a different person that signed me up to another course of CBT.

I am still on Fluoxetine but due to periods when I have been extremely depressed, anxious and felt suicidal the dosage was increased to 50mg and then to 60mg which is the maximum dosage. My GP tells me that there isn’t anything more she can do for me apart from trying different medications and signposting me towards talking therapies as there is no-one to refer me to locally.

The fact that I was not diagnosed with Autism until relatively recently does not indicate that it should not cause me any difficulties. The understanding of Autism as a diagnosis has evolved a lot over time and it not being picked up when I was a child speaks more to the lack of understanding of such things back then than it does the level of difficulties I have. I have always had difficulties and it not being picked up sooner means that I missed out on help during my formative years when it could really have made a difference to my ability to cope.

The decision maker also mentions the fact that I attended a mainstream university as a justification for why I should be able to carry out activities but fails to take into account the problems I encountered that I described on the form. The first time I attempted to go to university I was unable to last the first week as my anxiety made me unable to tolerate being there on my own. I then went back two years later at the same time as my younger brother and was able to complete my degree, but I did not engage at all with what people think of as student life. The university I attended was in a very nearby city and I was able to remain living at home with my parents and effectively treat it like a continuation of school. I caught the same buses as my brother, attended lectures when I was able but missed many due to struggling with irritable bowel symptoms that were caused by stress. Our father came and picked us up in the car to come home whenever we had to stay for a full day. I spent time between lectures on my own when I could not meet with my brother and at times felt extremely depressed. It is also relevant to mention that I was a lot younger when I went to university and had not suffered the cumulative effects of years of struggling with mental health issues and going round in circles with treatment but never being able to find the cause.