The guardianship clock starts well before your child turns 18

Under Illinois law, your legal authority to make decisions for your child ends automatically on their 18th birthday — regardless of their diagnosis, cognitive ability, or how much support they still need. There's no grace period and no automatic extension.

If your child will need continued support with medical, financial, or educational decisions after 18, that authority has to be re-established through the court. Left until after the birthday, families can find themselves locked out of a hospital conversation or a school meeting with no legal standing to weigh in.

"Nothing about turning 18 changes overnight — except who's legally allowed to make the decision."

Why we start 6–12 months out

Guardianship petitions in Illinois require a physician's report, notice to the individual and certain relatives, and a court hearing. None of that happens instantly. Starting the process six to twelve months before the birthday gives enough runway to handle delays — a slow-to-schedule medical evaluation, a court date that gets pushed, or family members who need more time to respond to notice.

Guardianship isn't the only option

Full guardianship is the most restrictive option, and Illinois law specifically directs courts toward the least restrictive alternative that still meets your loved one's needs. Depending on the situation, that might mean:

• Limited guardianship — authority over specific decisions only, leaving the rest to your loved one.
• Supported decision-making agreements — a newer, less restrictive tool that lets your loved one retain full legal decision-making with support.
• Powers of attorney — if your loved one has the capacity to sign them, these can cover many of the same needs without a court proceeding at all.

Which of these fits depends entirely on your loved one's actual capacity — which is exactly what the evaluation and the conversation with us are for.

What to have ready

Before that first conversation, it helps to have a general sense of your child's current diagnoses, any recent evaluations, and the specific decisions you're most concerned about — medical, financial, educational, or living arrangements. We'll build the petition and evaluation around what actually applies.