Autism

Autism Specific Articles

I have written a fair amount about Autism and its financial effects on families (DTC, RDSP, and such), however, I have also written more about being the Father of a child on the Spectrum as well.

• The new Ontario Autism Funding program looks too confusing, but as usual, my son is not likely to get any funding.
• Sometimes I really need to vent and with Autism and Advice I try to help folks who really do mean well, but end up not doing much good with their advice. World Autism Day is another one of that kind of discussion.
• An exciting video from Ted Video: Temple Grandin is the example many point to about Autistic Folks finding their place.
• Henson Trusts are another way to put money away for your child’s future. In some instances the RDSP does not work financially. This is another option.
• A new topic further is Power of Attorney for Autistic Family Member? The answer is not as straightforward as you might think. You must do something about this for your loved ones before they reach the age of majority.
• You can claim schooling fees for your child, as a medical expense, if the school in some situations. How To Apply for School Fees for medical credit from CRA outlines how to do this. There is also a Letter template in Medical Tax Credit for School Costs Template for your use as well. The rules have changed for who can sign your letter as well.
• Will they be Curing Autism any time soon? Depends on what you call Cure I suppose? I don’t think so.

Education

My son has been in private schools his entire schooling career. He is not far enough down the spectrum to fit into the public system, but not high enough to attempt to “pass”. A few articles about private schools.

• Education: Price of Private Schools talks about whether you should pay for Private school for your kids. When I wrote it I was not sure where my son was going to go to school.
• Private School Fallacy is a commentary that starts saying you are a fool to send your kid to a private school, but I point out that there are situations where this might be the right idea for your kids.

Autism Help Programs

I know of a few programs out there for parents as well, here are links to check out:

• The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario has an Autism program you can read about THE AUTISM PROGRAM OF EASTERN ONTARIO

If you live in Nova Scotia near Wolfville, here is a great program that I can recommend for disabled kids (offered at Acadia U).

Index of RDSP Pages

Here are the RDSP Page List in case you got here and are wondering where to find out more information.

• The Registered Disability (RDSP) page, where you most likely came from. Check here for all things to do with RDSP and applying for it.
• How to Laying the Groundwork for an RDSP outlines the most difficult part of the process which is applying for a Disability Tax Credit (DTC).
• How to Open an RDSP account sounds simple, but it is fraught with landmines and hidden silliness. Open the most flexible investing account possible.
• Disability Tax Related Topics covers a wide scope of tax related ideas and concepts once your loved one has a Disability Tax Credit.
• Autism Specific Articles is a page dedicated specifically to the things I have learned about Autism, money and life.