Intellectual & Developmental Disability Support & Navigation
Your Child Has a Developmental or Intellectual Disability (ODSP).(ODSP) What Comes Next?
Learning that your child has an Intellectual Disability, Global Developmental Delay, Down syndrome, or another developmental disability can bring many questions about their future.
What therapies does my child need?
Can we receive funding for respite or developmental supports?
What should the school provide?
Can we apply for the Disability Tax Credit?
What happens when my child turns 18?
What are DSO and Passport funding?
How do we plan for greater independence and adulthood?
At My Child Is Different, we help families understand the programs, therapies, financial supports, and community services that may be available to their child.
Developmental disabilities affect every child differently. Some children may need support primarily with learning, language, or social skills. Others may require significant assistance with communication, mobility, toileting, feeding, personal care, safety, and everyday activities.
There is no single pathway that is right for every family.
Our goal is to help you understand your child's individual needs and build a clear support plan from childhood through adulthood.
1. Start With Your Child's Developmental Needs
A diagnosis is important, but services should be based on how your child functions in everyday life.
Families may need support in areas such as:
Communication • learning • mobility • fine-motor skills • feeding • toileting • dressing • behavior • emotional regulation • sensory needs • social development • self-care • safety • independence
Children with developmental disabilities may benefit from several different professionals, depending on their individual needs.
2. SmartStart Hubs — A Good Starting Point
For Ontario families who are unsure where to begin, a SmartStart Hub can be an important starting point.
SmartStart Hubs are connected with Ontario's Children's Treatment Centres and help families identify their child's needs and connect with appropriate children's rehabilitation and developmental services.
Importantly, families do not necessarily need a diagnosis or physician referral simply to approach a SmartStart Hub and discuss concerns about their child's development.
This can be especially helpful when a child has developmental concerns involving several areas at the same time.
3. Children's Treatment Centers & Rehabilitation Services
Ontario's children's rehabilitation system provides services for children and youth with physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, and communication needs. Families can contact their local Children's Treatment Centre and SmartStart Hub to explore available services.
Depending on the child's needs, services may include:
Speech-Language Pathology
Speech-language therapy may help with:
Speech development • understanding language • expressing needs • social communication • feeding and swallowing when appropriate • alternative and augmentative communication (AAC).
Young children with speech and language concerns may also be eligible for Ontario's Preschool Speech and Language Program.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy may help with:
Fine-motor development • dressing • feeding • toileting • handwriting • sensory regulation • daily routines • play • adaptive skills • greater independence.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy may be appropriate for children experiencing difficulties with:
Walking • balance • strength • positioning • gross-motor development • mobility and physical participation.
Not every child requires all three therapies. Services should be selected according to the child's actual functional needs.
4. Infant & Early Developmental Intervention
For very young children showing developmental delays, families should not necessarily wait until a final diagnosis is established before exploring developmental services.
Ontario's Infant Child Development Program provides early intervention services for eligible infants and young children with developmental concerns. Families can check with their local program or SmartStart Hub regarding access.
Early support may focus on areas such as
Communication • movement • play • interaction • cognitive development • daily routines • parent coaching.
5. Coordinated Service Planning
Some children have needs involving several systems at once—for example, healthcare, school, therapy, behavioral services, and community supports.
Ontario offers Coordinated Service Planning for children and youth with multiple and/or complex special needs.
A service planning coordinator can help families connect different services and develop a more coordinated plan rather than leaving parents to navigate every agency independently.
This can be particularly valuable for children with significant developmental, medical, behavioral, or functional needs.
6. School Supports—IEP
Children with developmental and intellectual disabilities may require significant educational support.
Parents should speak with their child's school about an Individual Education Plan (IEP).
An IEP describes the special-education instruction, accommodations, supports, and services required by the individual student.
Depending on the child, an IEP may include:
Modified academic expectations
Some children may work toward curriculum expectations from a different grade level.
Alternative learning goals
These might involve communication, life skills, social development, personal care, or other functional skills rather than standard academic curriculum expectations.
Visual supports
Pictures, schedules, first-then boards, and other visual strategies may improve understanding and predictability.
Communication supports
This may include AAC devices, picture communication, or other individualized communication systems.
Additional processing time
Children may require additional time to understand instructions and complete tasks.
Repetition and simplified instructions
Teaching may need to be broken into smaller, more manageable steps.
Assistive technology
Technology may help support communication, writing, learning, or access to curriculum.
Safety and supervision planning
Some students require additional supervision because of wandering, limited danger awareness, or other significant support needs.
Personal-care support
Some students may require assistance with toileting, feeding, mobility, or other activities during the school day.
Supports should be individualized rather than based solely on the child's diagnosis.
7. IPRC & Special-Education Identification
Some children may also go through the Identification, Placement, and Review (IPRC) process.
Ontario's special-education framework includes five broad categories of exceptionality:
Behavioral • Communicational • Intellectual • Physical • Multiple
The intellectual category is therefore particularly relevant for some students with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
An IPRC can formally identify a student's exceptionality and determine an appropriate educational placement.
We can help parents understand the difference between an IEP and an IPRC and prepare for meetings with their child's school.
8. Special Services at Home — SSAH
One of the most important programs for Ontario families caring for a child with a developmental disability is Special Services at Home—SSSAH.
SSAH provides funding to eligible Ontario families caring for a child under 18 with a developmental and/or physical disability. The application considers the child's functional limitations and support needs.
Funding can help families purchase eligible supports that:
Support the child's personal development.
and/or
Provide relief for caregivers.
This can help children participate more fully in activities at home and in their community.
Families should understand that SSAH eligibility and funding are not automatic simply because a diagnosis is present.
The child's functional needs and program eligibility criteria matter.
9. Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities — ACSD
Families caring for a child with a severe disability may also want to explore Ontario's Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities—ACSD program.
ACSD provides financial assistance to eligible families to help cover some of the additional expenses associated with caring for a child with a severe disability.
Eligibility depends on the child's disability-related needs as well as family circumstances.
For families raising a child who requires extensive supervision, personal care, specialized equipment, transportation, or other disability-related support, ACSD may be an important program to investigate.
10. Respite & Caregiver Support
Caring for a child with significant developmental needs can require supervision and assistance throughout the day and sometimes throughout the night.
Parents should not feel guilty about needing respite.
Respite is part of supporting the entire family.
Ontario's SSAH program may help eligible families purchase caregiver relief and other supports. Ontario also has additional respite pathways for certain children with special or medically complex needs.
Families may also explore:
Community respite agencies • recreational programs • support workers • camps • caregiver groups • family support organizations.
11. Disability Tax Credit — DTC
Families should strongly consider whether their child may qualify for the federal Disability Tax Credit—DTC.
The DTC is not awarded based simply on the name of a diagnosis.
The Canada Revenue Agency considers whether the individual has a severe and prolonged impairment and how that impairment affects activities of daily living or mental functions necessary for everyday life.
Many children with significant intellectual or developmental disabilities may have limitations involving areas such as
Adaptive functioning • judgment • problem-solving • memory • goal setting • communication • self-care • safety awareness.
A qualified medical practitioner completes the medical portion of the application, while the Canada Revenue Agency makes the final decision regarding eligibility.
DTC approval is particularly important because it can open access to other financial programs.
12. Child Disability Benefit — CDB
When a child is approved for the Disability Tax Credit and the family is eligible for the Canada Child Benefit, the family may also receive the Child Disability Benefit.
Families already receiving the Canada Child Benefit generally do not need to submit a separate Child Disability Benefit application once the child qualifies for the DTC.
For July 2026 through June 2027, the maximum Child Disability Benefit is $3,480 per year, or $290 per month, for each eligible child, with the actual amount depending on adjusted family net income.
13. Registered Disability Savings Plan — RDSP
Once a child is approved for the DTC, families should also learn about the Registered Disability Savings Plan—RDSP.
An RDSP is a long-term savings plan designed to help people with disabilities prepare financially for the future.
Depending on eligibility and family income, the federal government may contribute additional money through:
Canada Disability Savings Grants
and
Canada Disability Savings Bonds
Starting an RDSP while a child is young may provide considerably more time to build long-term financial security.
14. Recreation, Community Participation & Life Skills
Developmental support is about more than medical appointments and therapy.
Children also need opportunities to:
Play and build friendships. • participate in recreation • experience their community • develop independence • learn daily-living skills.
Depending on the child's abilities and interests, families may explore:
Adaptive swimming • recreational programs • camps • Special Olympics or adapted sports • social programs • community centers • life-skills programs • music and art programs • supported community activities.
A good support plan should focus not only on what a child cannot yet do but also on helping them experience a meaningful and enjoyable childhood.
15. Communication & AAC
Some children with intellectual or developmental disabilities have very limited spoken language.
Not being able to speak does not mean that a child has nothing to communicate.
A Speech-Language Pathologist can assess whether the child would benefit from Augmentative and Alternative communication—AAC.
AAC might include:
Pictures • communication boards • symbols • sign-supported communication • speech-generating devices • tablet-based communication systems.
Giving a child an effective way to communicate can help them express needs, preferences, discomfort, emotions, and choices.
16. Daily-Living & Independence Skills
For children with intellectual disabilities, therapy and education should not focus only on academic skills.
Functional independence can be equally important.
Families may need help teaching:
Dressing • toileting • bathing • feeding • preparing simple food • cleaning • using money • telling time • transportation • shopping • communication • personal safety • household responsibilities.
As children get older, goals should increasingly focus on helping them achieve the greatest realistic level of independence possible.
17. Safety Planning
Some children with developmental disabilities have limited awareness of danger.
Families may need individualized planning for:
Wandering or elopement
Traffic safety
Water safety
Limited stranger awareness
Difficulty communicating their name or address
Emergency situations
Medication safety
Online safety
Personal boundaries
Abuse prevention
Medical-alert identification
Children who are unable to communicate important personal information may benefit from identification systems and an individualized safety plan.
18. Behavioral & Emotional Support
Behavior is often a form of communication.
A child who is hitting, biting, screaming, refusing, running away, or engaging in self-injury may be communicating:
Pain • frustration • sensory overload • fear • inability to communicate • difficulty understanding expectations • desire to escape a situation • unmet needs.
Families may benefit from behavioral, psychological, or mental-health support when behaviors are interfering significantly with the child's safety or participation.
For children with particularly complex developmental, mental-health, or medical challenges, Ontario's Child and Parent Resource (CPRI) provides specialized services for eligible children and youth.
19. Medical Follow-Up
Children with developmental or intellectual disabilities can also have additional medical needs.
Depending on the child's diagnosis and presentation, families may need follow-up related to:
Hearing • vision • seizures • sleep • feeding • constipation • growth • motor development • genetic conditions • ADHD • autism • anxiety • behavioral concerns.
The child's family physician, pediatrician, or specialist should help determine which assessments or referrals are appropriate.
20. Start Transition Planning Early
One of the biggest mistakes families can make is waiting until a child turns 18 before thinking about adult services.
Ontario's child and adult developmental service systems are different.
Families should begin planning years before adulthood.
Important areas include:
Adult developmental services • income support • housing • employment • community participation • transportation • legal and financial planning • healthcare transition • decision-making • long-term caregiving.
21. Developmental Services Ontario—DSO
Developmental Services DSO) is the access point for provincially funded adult developmental services in Ontario.
Ontario's current developmental-services framework serves people with developmental disabilities beginning at age 16 for the application and eligibility process, although referrals to ministry-funded adult developmental services occur once the person reaches adulthood.
Families, therefore, should not wait until the child's 18th birthday to learn about DSO.
DSO determines whether the individual meets Ontario's eligibility requirements for adult developmental services.
Once eligible, DSO can help connect the individual with available adult developmental supports.
Not every child diagnosed with Global Developmental Delay or another developmental condition will automatically meet adult DSO eligibility criteria.
Eligibility must be formally determined through the adult developmental-services system.
22. Passport Funding
For individuals who qualify for Ontario's adult developmental services, Passport is one of the most important programs to understand.
Passport provides funding to eligible adults with developmental disabilities to support:
Community participation
Activities of daily living
Person-directed planning
Employment-related skills
Support-worker assistance
and
Caregiver respite.
As of 2026, Ontario states that Passport recipients receive a minimum annual funding allocation of $5,500, while some people may receive additional funding based on assessed needs and available resources.
Families apply for adult developmental services through DSO, which determines eligibility and facilitates access to a passport.
23. Adult Developmental Services
Eligible adults with developmental disabilities may also have access to other Ontario developmental services beyond Passport.
Depending on availability, eligibility, and individual need, adult services can include:
Community participation supports • specialized clinical services • residential supports • supported living options • caregiver supports • Adult Protective Service Workers and other developmental services.
An Adult Protective Service (APSW) can provide case-management support to eligible adults with developmental disabilities who are living independently in the community.
24. Ontario Disability Support Program — ODSP
As adulthood approaches, families should also investigate Ontario Disability Support ODSP) eligibility.
ODSP provides income and other supports to eligible adults with disabilities who meet the program's medical, financial, and residency requirements.
Although ODSP income support generally begins for eligible individuals at age 18, Ontario allows the disability application process to begin up to six months before the young person's 18th birthday.
Planning ahead can therefore help reduce gaps in financial support during the transition to adulthood.
25. Canada Disability Benefit After Age 18
Families planning for adulthood should also be aware of the federal Canada Disability Benefit.
This is separate from the Child Disability Benefit.
The Canada Disability Benefit provides income-tested financial support to eligible people with disabilities between 18 and 64 years old. Eligibility includes being approved for the Disability Tax Credit as well as meeting other federal requirements.
An application can be submitted up to six months before the person's 18th birthday, although it will not be processed until the person turns 18.
This is another reason why maintaining appropriate DTC eligibility and planning before adulthood can be important.
26. Planning for Housing & Long-Term Caregiving
Parents commonly ask:
“Who will take care of my child when I no longer can?”
This is an important question and one that should be discussed long before a crisis occurs.
Depending on the individual's needs and eligibility, future planning may involve:
Living with family • supported independent living • residential developmental services • host-family arrangements • community housing • support workers • individualized funding.
DSO is an important access point for provincially funded adult developmental services, including support related to housing and community living.
Financial and estate planning may also be important, particularly when families are considering wills, trusts, RDSPs, and long-term financial support for a person with a disability.
Families should seek appropriate legal and financial advice for individualized planning.
27. Employment & Meaningful Adult Activities
An intellectual disability does not automatically mean that a person cannot work.
Many individuals can participate in employment with appropriate support.
Transition planning may include:
Job skills • volunteering • supported employment • job coaching • life-skills training • community participation • continuing education • recreation.
Passport funding can be used for certain eligible employment-related and community-participation supports.
The goal should be to help each young person develop the greatest degree of independence, participation, and choice that is realistic for them.
We Help Families Build a Long-Term Support Plan
Families of children with developmental disabilities often have to navigate several systems at the same time:
Healthcare
Therapy
School
Government funding
Respite
Tax benefits
Community programs
and eventually
Adult developmental services
It can become overwhelming very quickly.
At My Child Is Different, we help families understand what programs may be relevant to their child and organize the next steps.
We Can Help You Explore:
SmartStart Hub and Children's Treatment Centre services
Speech, occupational, and physical therapy options
Early developmental intervention
Coordinated Service Planning
School accommodations, IEP, and IPRC
Special Services at Home — SSAH
Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities — ACSD
Respite and caregiver supports
Disability Tax Credit — DTC
Child Disability Benefit
Registered Disability Savings Plan — RDSP
Community and recreation resources
Communication and AAC supports
Safety and daily-living planning
Transition planning beginning during adolescence
Developmental Services Ontario—DSO
Passport funding
ODSP
Adult developmental and community supports
Canada Disability Benefit after age 18
Long-term independence, housing, and future planning
Start Planning Today—Not When a Crisis Happens
Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities may require support throughout different stages of life, but the type of support changes as the child grows.
The most effective approach is to look ahead.
What does my child need today?
What skills should we work on next?
Which programs should we apply for now?
What should we prepare for when they become a teenager?
What needs to be ready before age 18?
At My Child Is Different, our goal is to turn these questions into a clear and manageable plan.
Your Child's Future Deserves Planning, Support, and Possibility.
Every child develops differently.
Our goal is not to compare your child with others.
It is to help your child communicate, participate, develop independence, and enjoy the best quality of life possible—while helping your family find the supports you should not have to navigate alone.
Eligibility for government programs, funding, and benefits is determined by the responsible government agency or program. My Child Is Different can assist families with understanding and navigating available options but cannot guarantee eligibility, approval, funding, or access to services.