The library
34 pages in eight sections, ordered by the order a family usually needs them. Every page shows reading time, evidence level and editorial update date.
Prefer to start by moment instead of topic? Use the four doors.
Recognition
Early signs, screening, and what to say to your doctor.
Early signs of autism by age: 12, 18, 24 and 36 months
What clinicians look for at 12, 18, 24 and 36 months: pointing, response to name, gaze, play, language. For a worried parent on a phone at night.
6 min · evidence: strong
M-CHAT-R/F explained: what the toddler autism screen means
What the M-CHAT-R/F screens for, what a positive or negative result really means, and how to bring it to your doctor or CLSC in Quebec.
6 min · evidence: strong
Lost words and skills: regression is a red flag, not a phase
Your toddler used to say words, wave or point, and has stopped. Why losing skills is a reason to act now, and where to start in Quebec.
5 min · evidence: strong
What to say to your doctor about autism concerns in Quebec
A short script for the appointment, what to bring, and how the Quebec referral route starts (CLSC, family doctor, Agir tôt). How to answer 'wait and see'.
6 min · evidence: strong
Girls, quiet kids and masking: why autism gets missed
Why autistic girls and quiet, compliant children are recognized later, what masking looks like at 3 to 6, and what to watch for when school says all is fine.
6 min · evidence: moderate
Autism, ADHD, language delay: the overlap at age 2
At 2, autism, ADHD, language delay and global delay look alike and the label can shift. Why that lowers the stakes, and why the supports overlap too.
6 min · evidence: strong
The Quebec pathway
Public and private routes, who does what, money and paperwork.
Waiting is not wait-and-see: what to start now in Quebec
On a 6–24 month autism assessment queue in Quebec? Agir tôt, CLSC early stimulation, daycare support and parent strategies can start before any diagnosis.
6 min · evidence: official
Public or private autism assessment in Quebec? A decision guide
Free through the CLSC with a 6–24 month queue, or $1,600–$4,200 private. When paying is worth it, when it is not, and how to do both at once.
6 min · evidence: official
Who does what: autism professionals in Quebec, explained
Pediatrician, psychiatrist, neuropsychologist, orthophoniste, ergothérapeute, psychoeducator, TES, social worker: who diagnoses, who treats, which door first.
6 min · evidence: official
Agir tôt, CLSC, CPE and school: the Quebec map for ages 0–7
How Quebec's system fits together for an autistic child aged 0–7: Agir tôt, CLSC and CIUSSS access, daycare allowances, and the school plan d'intervention.
6 min · evidence: official
The first 100 days after an autism diagnosis, Quebec edition
A calm week-by-week plan for Quebec parents after the report: breathe, decode, paperwork (SEH, DTC), CLSC and daycare, then family, siblings and you.
6 min · evidence: editorial
Decoding your child's autism assessment report
DSM-5 levels, co-occurring notes, scores and the recommendations section in plain language, and how to use the report with CLSC, CPE, school and benefits.
6 min · evidence: official
Money families leave unclaimed: autism benefits in Quebec
SEH from Retraite Québec, the federal Disability Tax Credit (T2201), Child Disability Benefit, RDSP and medical expense credits, in the order to apply.
6 min · evidence: official
What actually helps
The evidence on early support, and honest answers on contested claims.
What Helps Early: Parent-Mediated Approaches Explained
PACT, JASPER, ESDM and ImPACT coach you, not just your child. What the evidence says, what it looks like at home, and how to ask for it in Quebec.
6 min · evidence: strong
AAC, Signs and Devices Do Not Delay Speech
Signs, picture boards and speech devices do not stop a child from talking; reviews across decades say the opposite. The fear, and what to do instead.
5 min · evidence: strong
The Hours Myth: Intervention Intensity vs Fit
Nobody has shown that 40 hours a week beats a well-matched program. What the meta-analyses actually say, and how to judge fit instead of counting hours.
6 min · evidence: contested
ABA: A Fair Page for Quebec Parents
What ABA is, what changed, why many autistic adults oppose it, a good program versus red flags, and how ICI works in Quebec's public system.
7 min · evidence: contested
Diets, Supplements and Biomedical Claims: Honest Table
Gluten-free diets, omega-3, vitamin D, B6, probiotics, chelation: what we can say, what we can't, and what people claim anyway. Cochrane-sourced.
6 min · evidence: strong
Screens and Neurodivergent Kids: Honest Claims
Screens do not cause autism. They do push bedtime later. What the evidence supports, what it doesn't, and rules that respect a family running on empty.
6 min · evidence: mixed
Regulation
Sensory systems, meltdowns, movement. Your nervous system is the tool.
Sensory Systems and the Regulation Ladder
The eight senses in plain words, why some children over- or under-respond, and a simple ladder parents can use at home to spot overwhelm early and help.
6 min · evidence: mixed
Meltdown vs Tantrum, and a Meltdown Plan
How to tell a meltdown from a tantrum, what to do during and after one, how to have fewer, and a printable-style plan for your family and the people around you.
6 min · evidence: moderate
Movement and the Developing Brain, 0 to 6
What the evidence really says about movement, attention and regulation in young autistic and ADHD children, what is overstated, and what to do at home.
6 min · evidence: mixed
Daily life
Sleep, screens, music, outings that work.
Sleep in Autistic and ADHD Children
Why sleep is hard for so many autistic and ADHD kids, what actually helps (routine before gadgets), what to know about melatonin in Canada, and what to try this week.
6 min · evidence: moderate
Music and Autism: What the Evidence Supports
What music therapy research really shows for autistic children, what it does not, and how to use music at home without turning it into therapy homework.
6 min · evidence: mixed
Nature, Water and Calm Outings in Montreal
Why green time helps attention and regulation, why water safety is non-negotiable for autistic children, and a calm-morning outing model with Montreal options.
6 min · evidence: mixed
The family system
Siblings, fathers, grandparents, and your own burnout.
Parent burnout: your nervous system is the tool
Why parents of autistic children burn out, what parent-support trials actually show, and concrete ways to steady yourself first. Quebec help included.
6 min · evidence: moderate
Telling family, grandparents, and your child about autism
Scripts for telling relatives, handling the 'he'll grow out of it' grandparent, and explaining autism to your child, younger and plainer than you expect.
6 min · evidence: editorial
Siblings and fathers: the two family members who get overlooked
What the research says about brothers, sisters and dads of autistic children, what actually helps them, and what to say. Written for Montreal families.
6 min · evidence: moderate
Identity and the long view
What autistic adults wish their parents knew. Heredity. Prognosis honesty.
Is that me? Heredity and a parent's own diagnosis
Recognizing yourself while reading about your child's autism or ADHD is common: both are strongly inherited. What it changes, and why it may be an advantage.
6 min · evidence: moderate
What autistic adults wish their parents had known
Stimming, masking, autonomy and honest prognosis, from what autistic adults keep telling parents. Affirming, without pretending support needs away.
6 min · evidence: editorial
Montreal and community
The directory, the media worth following, and meetups.
Montreal autism and neurodiversity directory for parents
Montreal access points, organizations, English parent groups and private-clinic cost ranges for families of autistic children. Reviewed every six months.
6 min · evidence: official
Podcasts, books, newsletters and communities worth your time
A short, opinionated list for parents of autistic and ADHD children: who is speaking from lived experience, who is a clinician, what is Quebec or French.
6 min · evidence: editorial
About this site
Methodology, corrections, statistics.
Autism statistics for Canada and Quebec: the verified few
Prevalence and diagnosis-gap numbers for Canada and Quebec, each with its source and year. Fewer figures, all checked, none from memory.
5 min · evidence: mixed
How this site works: evidence rubric, sources and corrections
Neurosphere's evidence levels, source rule, review cadence, public corrections log and how to report an error. Read this before you trust anything else here.
6 min · evidence: official