What sort of tribunal is it? If it's a general social security appeal (eg, income support) I would say the mother alone. If it is about DLA or ESA, in my experience the Tribunal will find it beneficial to meet the claimant himself, certainly once legally adult. This will allow them to make their own conclusions about his disability as well as take evidence form both him and his mother. I'm a bit surprised that ADHD alone would interfere with communication: in my experience (again) communication difficulties tend to indicate a disorder somewhere on the autistic spectrum (unless there is a generalised learning disability as well). I know there is a lot of overlap in diagnoses but I have seen a lot of kids described as having ADHD who were almost certainly autistic - I had a lot of contact with a consultant paediatrician over the years and she was very clear about several of these cases.
|