My daughter is 3.5 and has Global Development Delay. She also has hypermobility and can't walk long distances due to this. When we were approved DLA Maddie was 2 years old so we just got the care component, I've just been chatting to someone and they mentioned the mobility component, which I hadn't thought about but I looking into it and it says:

Lower rate eligibility
Individuals are entitled to the lower rate mobility component if they are so severely mentally or physically disabled that they cannot walk outdoors on an unfamiliar route without guidance or supervision from another person most of the time.

She is around 12-18months behind development wise, so she's kinda like that of a 2 year old. She walks part of some journeys so she gets to stretch her legs a little but as I said previously, she can't do any great distance. Also she has zero sense of danger and would go off into the road. Obviously as she's only 3.5 and has the abilities/mindset of a 2 year old she CAN'T walk without guidance or supervision, I obviously have to be there with her all the time.

Has anyone gone from just the care component to then apply for the lower rate mobility? Is it a long winded process? Any advice? Thanks in advance!

Lower rate cannot be claimed until the child is 5 years old.
You would need to qualify for higher rate mobility at this age.

You can claim for mobility needs from:

•age three, if your child is unable, or virtually unable, to walk or would be at risk if they tried to walk
•age three, if your child is both 100 per cent disabled because of loss of eyesight and not less than 80 per cent disabled because of deafness
•age three, if your child is severely mentally impaired with severe behavioural problems and qualifies for the highest rate of care component
•age five, if your child needs guidance or supervision when walking out of doors

Many thanks for that, Daniel, in that case we won't be entitled until she's 5 then and on the "needing guidance and supervision" level. Thanks for clearing that up for me, I love this forum. )

But why do you believe you could not go forward for the higher rate?

At this moment in time she can walk, though short distances, she doesn't have any eyesight or hearing problems so that rules that one out and I don't think her developmental delays could be classed as severe in the behavoural sense or the mental sense so I can't see her being eligible in either of those instances, and the only thing I could see her falling under is the requiring guidane and supervision, but that one is just from the age of 5. xx