Resources · The Quebec pathway

The first 100 days after an autism diagnosis, Quebec edition

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

Nothing about your child changed on the day of the report; what changed is which doors will open. Week 1 is for breathing and reading the report once. Weeks 2 to 4 are two forms (SEH and T2201). Weeks 5 to 8 are the CLSC access desk and the daycare. Weeks 9 to 14 are family, siblings and you. Print this, tick boxes, ignore the rest until its week.

You have a report with a word on it, and a strange mix of relief and grief, and a list of "next steps" you did not read past the first line. This page is the list, spread over 100 days so that each week asks one thing of you. The structure borrows from the well-known 100-day kits; the content is Quebec, and it assumes your child is the same person they were the day before the appointment.

Week 1: breathe, decode, tell no one you do not want to

  • Do not book anything this week. The queue you were in is behind you; nothing is lost by resting.
  • Read the report once, slowly, with Decoding the assessment report open beside it. Circle the recommendations section. Ignore the numbers for now.
  • Decide who gets to know this week. The answer can be "nobody". Grandparents, colleagues and the daycare do not have a right to the report; they will have a role later.
  • Write one sentence about your child that has nothing to do with the diagnosis. Keep it.

The grief many parents describe is real and it can sit beside relief at finally having a name. Both are allowed. Neither is a sign you are doing this wrong. editorial

Weeks 2 to 4: paperwork that pays

Two forms, sent together, open most of the money and most of the daycare support in Quebec. See Money and benefits in Quebec for the amounts read from the official pages this year.

  • Retraite Québec, Application for the Supplement for Handicapped Children (SEH). The professional's part goes to the clinician who knows your child's hard days best. Being SEH-eligible is also the gate for daycare integration allowances. official
  • Canada Revenue Agency, form T2201, Disability Tax Credit. Part A is you, Part B is a doctor, nurse practitioner or psychologist. Approval triggers the Child Disability Benefit automatically if you receive the Canada Child Benefit, and unlocks an RDSP. official
  • Confirm you receive Family Allowance and the Canada Child Benefit; both supplements ride on them.
  • Call your group insurer: coverage and annual caps for psychology, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy.
  • Start one envelope for receipts. Fees to psychologists, SLPs, OTs, psychoeducators and social workers in Quebec count as medical expenses federally. official
  • Ask the assessing clinician for a one-page summary letter you can hand to the daycare and the CLSC without sharing the full report.

Weeks 5 to 8: services and daycare

  • Contact your CLSC and ask for the CIUSSS DI-TSA-DP access desk (guichet d'accès) for your territory. Send the report or the summary letter. Ask what the assessed needs process looks like and when a case manager will be named. official
  • Ask the same person about the Family Support Program (respite, childcare, occasional help), which the CIUSSS grants "following the assessment of the family's needs". official
  • If your child is under 7 and Agir tôt is not already in place, ask for it. It does not depend on the diagnosis. official
  • Meet your CPE director. Ask them to apply for the integration allowance; they need your written consent and your SEH eligibility. Bring the summary letter and three things that help your child in a room.
  • If your child turns 4 or 5 next September, note "school registration before March 1" and "meet the principal about a plan d'intervention". The school must build that plan with you. official
  • Decide about therapy the way you decided about the assessment: what does it teach you to do at home, and can you stop without penalty? Read What helps early and The hours myth before you sign anything.

Map of all the doors: Agir tôt, CLSC, CPE and school.

Weeks 9 to 14: family, siblings, routines, you

  • Tell the wider family, on your terms. The page Telling family, grandparents and your child has scripts for the relative who says "he'll grow out of it".
  • Tell your child, in a version that fits their age: some brains notice more, need more predictability, communicate differently, and that is who they are. Autistic adults consistently say they wished they had known young. See What autistic adults wish parents knew.
  • Give siblings a sentence too, and a job that is theirs. Sibling-focused support is one of the cheapest, highest-return things a family can do. moderate See Siblings and fathers.
  • Settle one routine, not five. Bedtime, the morning door, or the bath. Visual schedule, same order every day, one change at a time.
  • Write a meltdown plan before you need one: what the early signs look like, where the calm spot is, who does what. See Meltdown vs tantrum, and a plan.
  • Book something for you that repeats weekly. Your regulation is the sensory environment your child lives in. See Parent burnout: co-regulation first.
  • Find one other Montreal parent. Autisme Montréal, WIAIH and the Montreal Centre for Learning Disabilities all run parent groups; see the Montreal directory.

What the diagnosis does not do

It does not change your child. It does not oblige you to start any particular therapy; the recommendations in a report are advice, not orders. It does not set a trajectory: early profiles vary widely and change, and early language is not destiny. moderate It does not remove you from any public list you were on. And it does not have to become the family's only subject.

Printable version

Every checkbox above fits on two pages. Print it, stick it on the fridge, and let the weeks you have not reached stay blank. A tired parent who has done this week's three things is doing enough.

This week

  • Find which week you are actually in, and do only that week's boxes.
  • If you are in week 1: read the report once and write the one sentence about your child.
  • If you are past week 4 and the SEH and T2201 are not sent, they are this week's only task.

Sources

Questions parents ask

What should I do first after my child's autism diagnosis in Quebec?
First, nothing for a few days except read the report once and tell only the people you choose. Then, in the first month, file two applications: the Retraite Québec Supplement for Handicapped Children and the federal Disability Tax Credit form T2201. Those two open most of the other doors.
Do I have to tell my child's daycare or school about the diagnosis?
You are not obliged to share the report, but sharing it is how the daycare can apply for integration support hours and how the school can build a plan d'intervention. You decide what to share and when; you can share a summary rather than the full document.
How do I tell my child they are autistic?
Earlier and plainer than most parents expect, in words that describe the brain rather than a problem: some brains notice more, need more predictability, and communicate differently. Autistic adults consistently say they wished they had been told young, as a fact about themselves rather than a secret.

Read next

Part of: 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.