Resources · The Quebec pathway

Agir tôt, CLSC, CPE and school: the Quebec map for ages 0–7

6 min · Evidence: official · Updated September 3, 2026 · next review in 6 months

Four institutions carry your child from 0 to 7: Agir tôt (no diagnosis needed, via the CLSC), the CIUSSS DI-TSA-DP access desk for specialized services, the CPE with its integration allowances, and the school with its plan d'intervention, which the law says must be built with you. Learn the name of each door and the one document each one wants.

Your child is somewhere between a first worry and a first school bell, and the letters keep coming: CLSC, CIUSSS, DI-TSA-DP, CPE, PI. Each is a door with its own staff, form and idea of proof. This page draws the map once, in the order your child will meet them.

Agir tôt: the door that opens before a diagnosis

Agir tôt is Quebec's early-development program. The government page is unambiguous: it "is intended for children under the age of 7 and their families", it looks for "signs of developmental difficulties" rather than diagnoses, and it is "free and offered on a voluntary basis". You get in by contacting your CLSC, where "a caseworker will discuss your concerns with you and determine the appropriate service"; a doctor or daycare professional who sees your child regularly can also refer, with your permission. official

What it can include: developmental monitoring at the 18-month vaccination visit (the ABCdaire), online screening questionnaires about sleep, language, motor, cognitive and social development, then early intervention such as parent support, stimulation activities and "collaboration with daycare/school staff", plus transition support into kindergarten. official

The honest caveat: advocates have criticised the program for reaching language delay more easily than autism, and for staffing shortages. Ask anyway; even a slow file dates your concern.

CLSC and the CIUSSS access desk

The CLSC is your neighbourhood front door for "routine, front-line health and social services", including intake, guidance and referral. "No medical referral or diagnosis is required" to walk into its psychosocial reception desk, or to call Info-Social 811. official

Behind the CLSC sits your CIUSSS and its DI-TSA-DP program (déficience intellectuelle, trouble du spectre de l'autisme, déficience physique). Quebec's eligibility wording is broader than many parents assume: services are for people with "a physical or intellectual disability or an autism spectrum disorder", and "children with a significant developmental delay and individuals with a social communication disorder are also eligible". You enrol by contacting "your territorial establishment", which for most families means the CLSC or the CIUSSS access desk (guichet d'accès). official

The CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île's FAQ shows how it works on the ground: for autism concerns at ages 0 to 5 a pediatrician referral for assessment is recommended, and you "can also access early stimulation services while awaiting diagnosis"; at 5 and over, "you must contact your doctor and get a referral to have your child evaluated". official Once a diagnosis or significant delay is documented, the access desk assesses needs and opens specialized services: rehabilitation, community support, respite. The Family Support Program, which pays for respite, childcare and occasional help, is granted "following the assessment of the family's needs" by the same establishment. official

One document matters most here: the assessment report, or, before it exists, a dated professional note describing the delay. See Decoding the assessment report.

CPE: support in the room, funded by two allowances

Daycare is where families first feel the gap between "we love your child" and "we cannot manage the room". Quebec funds that gap, but the money flows to the daycare, not to you.

Subsidized childcare services can apply for financial assistance to integrate a child with a disability: the Allocation pour l'intégration en service de garde (AISG) and, from the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the Allocation exceptionnelle pour l'intégration (AEI), which "now replaces" the older Mesure exceptionnelle de soutien (MES). The AEI covers "in whole or in part, the hours of additional accompaniment necessary" for the child, and "only expenses related to the remuneration of the person responsible for accompaniment are admissible". The daycare applies, must obtain written parental consent, and the child must qualify for the Retraite Québec Supplement for Handicapped Children (SEH) or have qualified for the MES in 2025-2026. official

Read that gate carefully: the SEH application is the key to daycare support. It does not require an autism diagnosis; it requires a professional's description of how your child is limited. Start it early. See Money and benefits in Quebec.

One email to your CPE director: "Have you applied for the integration allowance for our child? What report do you need, and can we sign the consent now?"

School: the plan d'intervention and your rights

Quebec's Education Act (Loi sur l'instruction publique, LIP) gives the school principal a duty under section 96.14 to establish "a plan d'intervention adapted to the needs of the student" with the help of the parents, the staff providing services to the student and the student when capable; to carry it out and evaluate it periodically; to keep parents regularly informed; and to tell parents they can use the Protecteur national de l'élève complaint procedure if dissatisfied. official The Ministry's own guide describes the plan as coordinated actions built "for him and with him", with phases of information gathering, planning, implementation and review. official

The OPHQ parents' guide (2025) lays out the options for where your child learns: the regular class with adaptations and support, which the school organization "must consider first" when it is in the child's best interest; a special class with partial integration; a special class in a regular school (some grouping autistic students); or a specialized school. Needs change, and placement can change both ways. In a regular class the child can receive complementary services such as orthopédagogie, psychoéducation or orthophonie and be supported by a TES. official

Practical timing from the same guide: start gathering information about schooling when your child turns 3; registration usually runs late January to February and "must be done before March 1" of the year before entry; ask the daycare to complete a transition document describing your child's strengths and challenges. official Preschool at 4 and 5 is not compulsory. Every person has a right to educational services from age 5 until 18, or 21 for a student with a disability. official

You may hear about a "code de difficulté" (code 50 for autism is the one parents repeat to each other). The OPHQ guide explains it as an administrative funding code that the Ministry is in the process of replacing; during the transition it may still be used. Do not let anyone tell you the code is the plan. The plan d'intervention is the plan.

The map on one line

Worry → CLSC (Agir tôt, early stimulation, no diagnosis) → doctor referral → assessment (public or private) → CIUSSS access desk (specialized services, Family Support Program) → Retraite Québec SEH → CPE integration allowance → school plan d'intervention. Each arrow is a phone call or a form; none of them requires the previous one to be finished before you start the next.

This week

  • Call the CLSC and ask, by name, for Agir tôt and for the DI-TSA-DP access desk contact for your territory.
  • Ask your CPE director whether an integration allowance application exists for your child and what report they need.
  • If your child turns 4 or 5 next year, put "school registration before March 1" and "meet the principal about a plan d'intervention" on the calendar now.

Sources

Questions parents ask

Do I need a diagnosis to get services from the CLSC for my child?
Not for early services. Agir tôt covers children under 7 without a diagnosis, and Montreal CIUSSS territories offer early stimulation while an assessment is pending. Specialized rehabilitation services through the DI-TSA-DP program generally follow a diagnosis or a documented significant developmental delay.
Can my child's daycare get extra help for an autistic child?
Yes. Subsidized childcare services can apply for the integration allowance and, since 2026-2027, the Allocation exceptionnelle pour l'intégration, which funds extra support hours. The daycare applies, with your written consent, and the child must be eligible for the Retraite Québec Supplement for Handicapped Children.
What is a plan d'intervention and do I have a right to be part of it?
It is the written plan a Quebec school must establish for a student with a disability or difficulties. Under section 96.14 of the Education Act the principal must establish it with the parents, the staff serving the student and the student when able, carry it out, evaluate it periodically and keep parents informed.

Read next

Part of: We're waiting for an assessment · We just got a diagnosis · plain markdown ·

This page explains; it does not diagnose or replace your clinician. Services, wait times, prices and benefit amounts change: confirm on the official page before acting. Found an error? Tell us and we will correct it publicly.