Waiting is not wait-and-see: what to start now in Quebec

The referral is in. Someone said "a year, maybe two". You are now in the stage this site calls waiting. You may want a plan, and this is also when some people try to sell certainty. This page offers a plan, and a few ways to judge those offers.

The wait is a queue for a label, not for help

In Quebec the two are separate. The Agir tôt program is "intended for children under the age of 7 and their families", and it screens for "signs of developmental difficulties" rather than diagnoses. It is free and voluntary, and the way in is your local CLSC, where "a caseworker will discuss your concerns with you and determine the appropriate service". ¹

The CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île's own FAQ says, for autism concerns in children aged 0 to 5: "While waiting for the diagnosis, you can contact the psychosocial reception desk for early stimulation services at the CLSC or in the community." ² Other Montreal territories also have DI-TSA-DP services, but the entry point and access rules may differ, so ask your CLSC how it works in your territory.

So the first move is one phone call: your CLSC, asking for Agir tôt and for early stimulation services, and asking them to note the date. If you do not know your CLSC, quebec.ca has a directory, and Info-Social 811 can point you to it.

Five things that can start this month

1. Agir tôt through the CLSC. Expect questionnaires about sleep, language, motor skills and social development, then a conversation with a clinician. Services can include parent support, stimulation activities and "collaboration with daycare/school staff". ¹ Ask specifically about the daycare piece.

2. Parent-led strategies at home. A Cochrane review found some benefits from parent-mediated approaches, strongest in parent-child interaction. The 2023 Project AIM review found evidence for social-communication benefits from naturalistic developmental behavioural interventions. ^{11, 12} You do not need a diagnosis, a program name or a therapist to start the basics: get down to your child's level, copy what they do, narrate, wait longer than feels natural, and treat every glance, gesture or sound as a turn in a conversation. The full page is What helps early: parent-mediated approaches.

3. Daycare accommodations. Talk to your CPE director now, not after the report. Subsidized childcare services can apply for integration allowances to fund extra support hours for a child with a disability; the request comes from the daycare, with your written consent, and the main condition listed is eligibility for the Retraite Québec Supplement for Handicapped Children. ⁵ That supplement is assessed on how your child is limited in daily life, as described by a professional, rather than on a specific diagnosis; confirm the conditions with Retraite Québec. See Money and benefits in Quebec.

4. Private coaching, if affordable. If private sessions are affordable, ask an SLP or OT about goals and ways to practise between visits. For Quebec, the CRA lists psychologists, SLPs, OTs and social workers as authorized medical practitioners for the medical expense tax credit, and psychoeducators when they are legally qualified psychotherapists. ⁶ If money is tight, ask for a block of three coaching sessions rather than an open-ended weekly slot.

5. Local organizations. The Fédération québécoise de l'autisme lists regional associations as among the first places to contact; Autisme Montréal's family support service covers navigation, subsidies and accompaniment to meetings when services are refused. Parent groups such as WIAIH in the West Island and the Montreal Centre for Learning Disabilities run parent support groups. Ask each one whether a diagnosis is needed to receive its services. See the Montreal directory.

What "doing" looks like in an ordinary week

• One ten-minute floor-play block a day where you follow, copy and wait.
• Signs, pictures or a simple communication board for the words your child wants most. These do not delay speech; the evidence points the other way. ^{13, 14, 15} See AAC and signs do not delay speech.
• A short phone note of new sounds, gestures, sleep and meltdowns. A dated log can be useful to the assessment team, and it can help you answer "is it getting worse?" with notes rather than memory.
• One thing for you. Your own rest and regulation matter too, for you and for your child. See Parent burnout: co-regulation first.

Protect yourself from expensive promises

Some businesses market directly to waiting parents. Some red flags, in plain terms:

• Promises that your child will stop being autistic, or that a "window is closing." Be cautious with that framing. Early support can help; it is not a countdown.
• Hours as proof. "Your child needs 30 to 40 hours a week or you are failing them." The evidence does not support intensity for its own sake for most young children. ¹⁶ See The hours myth.
• Diets, supplements, detox, "biomedical" protocols. No good evidence; some can be harmful. See Diets and supplements: honest claims.
• A diagnosis bundled with a therapy contract. Buy the assessment, take it home, decide about therapy separately.
• Anyone who discourages the public route. The public file is free and is the route to public services. Keep it open no matter what else you buy.

A fair test for any offer: does it teach you something you can do at home tomorrow, and can you stop at any time without penalty? If yes to both, that is a good sign, though it does not guarantee quality.

This week

Sources

1. The Agir tôt program (2026) ↩1 ↩2
2. Frequently asked questions, ID-ASD-PD (2026) ↩1
3. Local community services centre (CLSC) (2026)
4. Info-Social 811 (2026)
5. Financial assistance for integrating children with disabilities in childcare services (2026) ↩1
6. Authorized medical practitioners for the medical expense tax credit (2026) ↩1
7. Regional autism associations (2026)
8. Family support service (2026)
9. Services for parents (2026)
10. WIAIH listing (2026)
11. Parent-mediated early intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorders (Cochrane review) (2013) ↩1
12. Autism intervention meta-analysis of early childhood studies (Project AIM): updated systematic review and secondary analysis (2023) ↩1
13. The impact of augmentative and alternative communication intervention on the speech production of individuals with developmental disabilities: a research review (2006) ↩1
14. Effects of augmentative and alternative communication intervention on speech production in children with autism: a systematic review (2008) ↩1
15. Augmentative and alternative communication and speech production for individuals with ASD: a systematic review (2021) ↩1
16. Determining associations between intervention amount and outcomes for young autistic children: a meta-analysis (2024) ↩1