How Many Children Are Waiting for Autism Services in Ontario?

Why it matters

Why Does the Ontario Autism Waitlist Number Matter?

The trend since 2018

How Has the Ontario Autism Waitlist Changed Since 2018?

Source: Freedom of Information requests (2018–2025) and Financial Accountability Office of Ontario analysis. Historical figures are estimates compiled from government statements, FAO reports, and media coverage. Figures before the 2019 OAP redesign reflect a different program structure. See the full cost analysis of clearing the waitlist.

Cross-Canada comparison

How Does Ontario Compare to Other Provinces on Autism Waitlists?

Ontario FOI records document 89,799 children registered and only 23% of them (funded ÷ registered) holding a Core Funding Agreement. Other provinces define programs, queues, eligibility, and reporting differently. Their program pages establish mechanics, but no standardized independent national dataset supports a comparable wait-time or outcome ranking.

Source: MCCSS records obtained through FOI for the Ontario figure. Provincial program pages are used only for program mechanics, not comparable performance. See full provincial comparison.

Reproducible evidence

FOI Audit Trail and Calculations

These source-labelled observations separate reported counts from End The Wait Ontario calculations. Provincial pages are used for program mechanics only; the backlog findings below come from FOI records, CBC reporting, and FAO analysis.

1. March 4, 2026 FOI snapshot: 89,799 children registered, 20,633 children with active funding, and 69,166 children waiting; 23.0% were funded and 77.0% were waiting.
2. January 7, 2026 CBC/FOI snapshot: 88,175 children registered, 20,666 children funded, and 67,509 children waiting; 23.4% were funded and 76.6% were waiting.
3. January 7 to March 4, 2026: registrations rose by 1,624 children over 8 weeks, active funding fell by 33 children, and the backlog increased by 1,657 children.
4. February 29, 2024 FAO snapshot: 70,176 children registered, 19,966 children enrolled in Core Clinical Services, and 14,290 children had received a payment, leaving a 5,676-child payment gap.
5. The February 2024 FAO counts equal 28.5% enrolled and 20.4% paid out of 70,176 children; the 5,676-child difference is 28.4% of enrolled children.
6. Compared with the approximate 2019 baseline of 23,000 children, the March 2026 total of 89,799 children is 66,799 children higher, an increase of about 290% over 7 years.
7. CBC reviewed 18 months of bi-weekly reports and reported 21% registration growth; one 2-week period recorded 456 children newly registered while 151 fewer children held funding.
8. The 2026–27 OAP allocation is $965 million; the FAO modelled $1.35 billion to sustain 2018–19 service levels, a $385 million or 28.5% gap against that benchmark.
9. FAO reported $57.9 million for AccessOAP administration in 2023–24, equal to 8.4% of $691 million in total OAP spending that year.
10. From February 2024 to March 2026, registrations increased by 19,623 children, or 28.0%, while active funding increased by 667 children, or 3.3%.
11. The current backlog calculation is 89,799 children minus 20,633 children with active funding, which equals 69,166 children; 69,166 divided by 89,799 equals 77.0%.
12. The funded-share calculation is 20,633 children divided by 89,799 children, which equals 23.0%; the waiting-to-funded ratio is about 3.35 children waiting for every 1 child funded.
13. Between January and March 2026, the funded share moved from 23.4% to 23.0% while the waiting share moved from 76.6% to 77.0%, a 0.4-point change in each direction.
14. The 1,624-child registration increase across 56 days averaged about 29 children per day; the 1,657-child backlog increase averaged about 30 children per day.

Reproduce the trend analysis from the downloadable CSV dataset or review field definitions and limitations in the methodology.

Provenance

Sources & Methodology

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