Age and residency criteria
To be eligible for the PDD program, you must:
- be 16 years or older to apply and 18 when PDD services start
- have a developmental disability
- reside and plan to receive services in Alberta
- be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
Disability criteria
To be eligible for PDD you must have a developmental disability from before you were 18. This means you may have had a disability from birth or one happened while you were growing up. Having a developmental disability means an individual may need help to learn new things and assistance with day-to-day activities. A developmental disability is not the same as a physical disability, a health condition or a mental health disorder.
Learn how PDD defines developmental disability in the Developmental Disabilities Guidelines.
A PDD caseworker will review your application, supporting documentation and talk to you to determine if you have a developmental disability as defined in the PDD regulation. PDD requires assessments completed by a registered psychologist and may be called a Psychological Assessment Report, Psycho-Educational Assessment or Neuropsychological Assessment. These assessments assess thinking, learning, reasoning and behaviour and will be used to decide if you have an intelligence quotient (IQ) of 70 or lower.
A PDD worker will also talk to you about the skills that you have learned and do in your everyday life such as housekeeping, social skills, hygiene, making decisions and safety to figure out what you can do without help from another person.
Find supports
Use the Find Supports section of My Alberta Supports to help you find appropriate programs and services you are eligible for.
Contact Alberta Supports to discuss your situation further.
Resources
After you apply
Disability Services will utilize the information provided through the application and assessment documents to determine whether an individual is eligible for PDD. If an individual is eligible, a PDD worker will contact you.