Autism Services for Indigenous and First Nations Communities in Ontario

Ontario publishes three Ontario Autism Program registration criteria for children and youth: the child must be under 18, currently live in Ontario and have a written autism diagnosis from a qualified professional.

AccessOAP manages intake and registration for eligible children and youth. The Ontario Autism Program is a provincially funded, needs-based program offering services and supports to families of children and youth on the autism spectrum.

Jordan's Principle is a human rights principle and legal obligation under the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. It is intended to ensure that First Nations children do not experience gaps or delays in government-funded health, social and education services. Where a government service is available to other children and a jurisdictional dispute arises between Canada and a province or territory, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal describes a first-contact rule under which the first government department pays for the service and can seek reimbursement afterward.

The Jordan's Principle call centre is 1-855-572-4453 and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Each request is assessed under the applicable requirements; an identified example is not an automatic approval guarantee.

The Tribunal-ordered processing period for an urgent individual request is 12 hours, while an urgent group request has a 48-hour ordered period. Indigenous Services Canada currently reports delays, so these periods should not be presented as a promise that every decision will arrive within that time.

Ontario reports approximately 18 First Nations communities that it considers remote, meaning accessible only by air year-round or by ice road for much of the year. This current definition and count replace the draft's unsupported statement that Ontario has 31 fly-in First Nations communities.

Ontario's Indigenous Children and Youth Strategy aims to build a holistic, culturally based and community-driven approach to child and youth services.

Ontario's children's rehabilitation guidance directs service providers to work with Indigenous communities to provide culturally safer, trauma-informed and responsive service experiences.