Frequently Asked Questions

Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental difference that impacts all aspects of a person’s life.  See our full definition here.

1 in 21 children between the ages of 6 and 18 years old receive an autism diagnosis in BC.

A paediatrician, psychiatrist, or registered psychologist completes an assessment by examining:

• Medical history  
• Developmental history 
• Behaviour 
• Social interactions  
• Communication strategies 

During a child assessment, the specialist will interact the child and observe how they complete a structured play-based assessment and cognitive skill tests. The specialist will also ask the parents or guardians questions about the child’s behaviour and development. 

An adult assessment is a similar process. Instead of a play-based activity, the assessment may take the form of a conversation. Specialists vary on whether or not they require input from childhood guardians, people in your adult life, or other secondary sources. After the assessment, you will meet with the specialist and receive a written report.

For more info on autism assessments in BC, explore our assessment resources.

Publicly Funded Assessments (Age 0–18)

Wait times for publicly-funded assessments can be long. The average public wait time for a child autism assessment in BC, after a referral from a doctor or qualified practitioner, is approximately 80.6 weeks (18.5 months). 

Wait times may vary across the province, we recommend connecting directly with your BCAAN & CDBC regional coordinators for a clearer estimate of the wait time in your area.

Private Autism Assessment (All Ages) 

Pursuing an autism assessment through a private clinician is another option, but you should be aware that private assessments do have a cost associated with them. 

Private Autism Assessments can be done for both children and adults at a cost of $3500–$6000 in a variety of locations—these locations each have private waitlists anywhere between 4–12 months. 

There is no publicly funded assessment process for people 19 or over in BC. For other options, read our Adult Assessment blog.

Please start with our Autism Assessment in BC blog. If you have further questions, our Information Team is ready to support you.

We have compiled some great resources for you, and this blog is a useful starting guide: Next Steps After Your Child’s Autism Diagnosis.

It can be challenging at first, but we offer virtual caregiver groups to support you in your journey. Learn more here: Meets.

Additional resources can be found here: Resources for Caregivers 

Welcome to BC! Please access our Moving to BC blog for the first steps, and our information team is ready to connect.  

It is great that you’re taking steps to better understand yourself. We have a number of blogs to get you started: Autism Diagnosis for Adults, and Reasons Autism Self-Diagnosis is Valid. Feel free to browse the Resource section for Adults.  

We have two helpful blogs to get you started. Guide to Accessing Financial Benefits as an Autistic Adult and Autistic Adulting.  

AutismBC empowers the autism community with credible information and vetted resources to understand pathways to community supports. We use our platform to highlight, celebrate, and amplify autistic voices and the voices of our members to raise acceptance of autism while promoting social inclusion throughout the province. 

There are lots of ways you can help: 

Donate and Fundraise 

As a small non-profit, we need donations to keep doing the work that we do. There are many ways you can donate and raise money to help autistic people and their families in BC. Check out the Ways to Give and Fundraise pages for more information. 

Volunteer 

We sometimes need help with campaigns and at special events. Please send us a note via our contact form if you’re interested to hear from us when these opportunities arise. 

Join the Team 

Check out our careers page to see if we have any job openings.  

Share your Story 

“Sharing my story could help others.” 

We are always looking to share the stories, experiences, and voices of our community. You can read some of these here. 

Ready to share yours? Contact us to get started. 

AutismBC is a small, non-profit and registered charity. A majority of our staff and leadership team are neurodivergent and bring unique lived experience to their work. As a provincial leader, our vision is a British Columbia where all autistic people are accepted, included, and supported. 

AutismBC provides accessible support autistic people, their families, and their support networks. We believe credible information and resources should be readily available for everyone in BC. By directly connecting people to service options, we reduce the negative referral loop to access services. We help our members to make informed decisions for the support needs of themselves and their loved ones. 

AutismBC takes a nonprescriptive approach to referrals for services or therapies. We know that every autistic person is unique and has specific support needs that fluctuate throughout their life. Therefore, there cannot be a one-size-fits-all recommendation when it comes to services. Effective services focus on the individual’s needs.

No. Provincial individual autism funding is overseen by the Autism Funding Unit branch of Ministry of Children and Family Development. Learn more here.

The AutismBC staff team does not provide 1:1 advocacy support. We can offer resources on how to develop your own advocacy skills, as well as highlight advocacy-focused organizations across B.C. If you have a question concerning advocacy, please contact your regional coordinator.

As an organization, we do focus on provincial advocacy and uplifting the voices and needs of our membership for support in these areas: 

• Education 
• Healthcare 
• Poverty reduction 
• Disability rights 
• Human rights 

No, publicly-funded assessments are through BCAAN. The BC Autism Assessment Network (BCAAN) provides diagnostic assessments for those with suspected autism and accepts referrals from all physicians. Learn more: BC Autism Assessment Network We can also provide a list of private assessors throughout the province.

Yes, we do! Please email us and we can send you a password to access the list on the website. 

No, our Information Services are intended to provide you with the resources and options available for navigating pathways to assessments whether they are public or private.

We don’t promote third-party events, workshops, or businesses on our social media or website.  

However, our regional coordinators highlight and summarize locally-relevant events and news in monthly newsletters. Share your event with us through our contact form and select the applicable region in the dropdown menu.

Yes! By becoming a Community Member of AutismBC, you gain access to valuable programs, services, supports, and inclusive events! AutismBC Society Members have all the same benefits as Community Members and a direct hand in shaping the organization’s direction.  

For more information and to register, visit our membership page. 

In 1975, AutismBC was founded and became a charitable organization under the name Pacific Association for Autistic Children. Just three years later, the word ‘children’ was replaced by ‘citizens’ in our name. 

After opening branches across the province in the late 1980s, we changed our name to Autism Society of British Columbia. This new name was meant to demonstrate our commitment to helping autistic individuals and their families across the entire province. 

In 2017, we moved into the recently built Pacific Autism Family Network building in Richmond. We also adopted the shortform name AutismBC.

In 2022, we transitioned to a fully remote workspace with no physical address. Our team works remotely throughout the province to better serve all of BC.

• Founding member of the Provincial and Territorial Council of Autism Canada (formerly Autism Society Canada and Autism Canada Foundation)
• Member in good standing of the Autism Alliance of Canada
• Member in good standing of InclusionBC
• Provincial affiliate of Autism Canada

We do our best to follow the guidance of autistic self-advocates and the social model of disability in our communication. We are still learning and will continue to grow and change alongside the community. 

Some of our older blog posts use words or terms we don’t use at AutismBC anymore, either because they’re considered outdated or ableist to some people in the autism community. We’ve worked to edit many of our posts, but sometimes, we leave the language authors chose to respect their identities and voices.  

If you spot insensitive language or an error on our website, please let us know on our contact page. 

You can learn more about the words we choose in our language guide.