The natural guardianship of parents – that is their parental rights and control over their child – ends when their children reach the age of 18 in Ohio. At that point, they no longer have the legal ability to make decisions and sign consent forms for their child, and they may be excluded from participating in decisions their child makes. Many parents who have a child with a disability struggle to decide if they need to remain the decision-makers in their child’s life. If they decide to seek guardianship when their child turns 18, they must go to their local probate court, fill out and submit an application for guardianship.