89,799
children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program
AccessOAP is not working by the measures that matter. 23% of 89,799 registered children have funding. 69,166 are waiting 5+ years (OAC FOI analysis). $57.9M/year goes to administration, not therapy.
AccessOAP is the intake-and-administration consortium that operates the Ontario Autism Program's registration portal, needs-assessment process, and invoicing. It is run by Accerta Services Inc., a company affiliated with the Ontario Dental Association, under contract to the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS).
The question "is it working" has two layers. Layer one: does the portal function, do registrations get processed, do invoices get paid? Largely yes. Layer two: are children getting therapy in the developmental window where it matters? Largely no, and that is the layer that determines whether families get what they need.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Children registered | 89,799 | MCCSS FOI · Mar 2026 |
| Active funding agreement | 20,633 (23%) | MCCSS FOI · Mar 2026 |
| Waiting without funding | 69,166 (77%) | MCCSS FOI · Mar 2026 |
| Average wait | 5+ years | OAC FOI analysis |
| AccessOAP annual cost | $57.9M | FAO 2023-24 |
| Net new unfunded children/month | ~402 | CBC/OAC FOI (derived) |
A working delivery system would close the gap between registration and service access. Benchmarks from comparable jurisdictions and clinical research suggest:
AccessOAP today delivers 23% after multi-year waits, and the public cannot directly audit how the $57.9M/year is spent because the consortium is exempt from FIPPA. That is the gap.
Written by Spencer Carroll
Founder & Autism Advocate
Evidence on this page
Key claims are paired with their source, evidence tier, and verification date so readers can inspect the public record directly.
89,799
children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program
23%
Only 20,633 children have active funding agreements — less than one in four
$965M
Ontario allocated to the Ontario Autism Program in 2026-27
WHO recommends accessible, community-based early interventions for children with autism — timely evidence-based psychosocial interventions improve communication and social engagement