Decoding your child's autism assessment report

A report brings together observations, results and recommendations at one point in time. On its own, it does not predict your child's future. This page helps you find your way through the sections, prepare your questions and work out what information each service needs.

Who wrote and signed the report?

The sources cited indicate that in Quebec, physicians and psychologists, including neuropsychologists, can conclude an autism diagnosis. Speech-language pathology and occupational therapy contribute an assessment in their own domain. ^{1, 2} Check the signature, the professional title and the contact details you can use to ask for clarification. Each organization may have its own document requirements; a signature does not guarantee eligibility.

Reason for referral and developmental history

Check the factual details: dates, early milestones, daycare attendance or events you reported. Point out any errors in writing to the person responsible for the report. Ask how a correction will be kept on file and shared with the people who received the report.

Tools, observations and results

The report may name the ADOS-2, the ADI-R, a language assessment, a sensory profile, an adaptive behaviour scale, or a cognitive or developmental measure. Ask what each tool measures and which limits apply to your child.

• Results are obtained in a particular setting. The professional puts them alongside the history, the family's observations and the other information available.
• Low participation in the tasks can make interpretation harder. Ask the professional what can be concluded; do not assume the score is a pure measure of engagement or a prediction of IQ.
• Percentiles and standard scores place results against the tool's norms. Comparing them over time requires professional interpretation; using the same tool twice does not, on its own, guarantee a valid comparison.

Diagnosis and support levels

DSM-5 levels are described separately for social communication and for restricted or repetitive behaviours: level 1, support required; level 2, substantial support; level 3, very substantial support. A profile can differ between these areas.

These labels are a plain-language explanation, not an official quotation from the DSM-5-TR. Ask the professional what exact wording the report uses and what it means.

A level does not describe a person's worth and is not enough to predict schooling, language or adult life. The developmental study cited describes varied trajectories, ⁹ but does not on its own show whether levels stay stable or change. The Quebec eligibility page cited uses other criteria, including disability and significant developmental delay. ³ Ask what these mentions mean for your child and for the services involved.

Neurosphere prefers to describe support needs rather than give the person an overall ranking.

Other observations and follow-up

The cohort cited describes varying combinations of autism, ADHD and anxiety traits over the course of development. ¹¹ See Autism, ADHD and language delay: the overlap.

Look for mentions such as "rule out", "reassess" or similar: they can flag a question to look into further rather than a confirmed diagnosis. Ask who organizes the follow-up. According to the CIUSSS FAQ cited, a global developmental delay may be reassessed around age 7; confirm the procedure with your establishment. ⁴

The recommendations and how to use them

Recommendations are professional advice to discuss. How they are applied, and what organizations must do, also depends on the relevant procedures and rules; the report does not automatically guarantee every service.

• CLSC and DI-TSA-DP access desk. The report contributes to the needs assessment and to service decisions. ^{3, 4}
• Daycare. Check which program applies and which documents are needed; support paths differ. ⁷ See the services guide.
• School. The report contributes to preparing the plan d'intervention. The government parent guide cited refers to section 96.14 of the Education Act and to the participation of the parents, the staff and the student when able. ⁸
• Retraite Québec and the Canada Revenue Agency. Decisions rest on each program's criteria, including effects on daily functioning, and not only on a diagnosis; the CRA states that "a diagnosis itself does not qualify". ^{5, 6}

If a recommendation names a therapy or a number of hours, ask about the goal, the options, the constraints and how its fit will be assessed. See The hours myth.

Sharing the information that is needed

Ask each recipient what they need and why. A one-page summary can sometimes be enough; it could set out the relevant conclusions, the main recommendations and the supports that help. Do not assume that an excerpt is enough everywhere, or that the full report must always be sent. Keep a dated copy of what you send and use an appropriate way to protect this personal information.

Before a follow-up, you can note changes in communication, play, sleep or distress, and what seems to help. The professional will decide how to interpret them alongside earlier results.

This week

Sources

1. Diagnostic et premières démarches (2026) ↩1
2. How to get a diagnosis (2026) ↩1
3. Services for persons with a physical or intellectual disability or an autism spectrum disorder (2026) ↩1 ↩2
4. Frequently asked questions, ID-ASD-PD (2026) ↩1 ↩2
5. Supplement for Handicapped Children, eligibility (2026) ↩1
6. Who is eligible for the DTC (2026) ↩1
7. Allocation exceptionnelle pour l'intégration (2026) ↩1
8. Parcours scolaire d'un enfant handicapé, guide pour les parents (PDF) (2025) ↩1
9. Polygenic and developmental profiles of autism differ by age at diagnosis (2025) ↩1
10. Signs and characteristics of autism (2026)
11. Mid-childhood developmental and behavioural outcomes in infants with a family history of autism and/or ADHD (2026) ↩1