The numbers behind the answer
Every question on this page traces back to one of these three numbers.
Registered
88,175Children registered
Total in the Ontario Autism Program queue
CBC FOI Jan 2026
Funded
20,666Have active funding
Just 23.4% of registered children
CBC FOI Jan 2026
Waiting
67,509Still waiting
Registered. Diagnosed. Un-funded.
CBC FOI Jan 2026
Verified , CBC FOI Jan 2026
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Children registered | 88,175 |
| Have active funding | 20,666 |
| Still waiting | 67,509 |
Private ABA therapy: $60-$125/hour. Speech therapy: $150-$200/hour. OT: $120-$175/hour.
Intensive ABA (20-40 hrs/week): $50,000-$80,000/year. OAP funding typically covers only $8,000-$22,000, leaving families to pay the gap.
| Service | Hourly Rate | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| ABA Therapy (20-40 hrs/week) | $60 - $125 | $50,000 - $80,000 |
| Speech Therapy | $150 - $200 | $15,000 - $40,000 |
| Occupational Therapy | $120 - $175 | $12,000 - $35,000 |
| Comprehensive Care | $79,000 - $159,000 |
With 76.6% of Ontario children (67,509) waiting 5+ years for OAP core services, most families face a stark choice: pay for private therapy during the critical 0-6 developmental window, or wait and miss it entirely. Research consistently shows that early intervention produces the best outcomes, making the financial burden not just an affordability issue, but a health equity crisis.
OAP core clinical childhood budgets, when families eventually receive them, typically cover $8,000-$22,000 annually depending on the child's age and needs. Against therapy costs of $50,000-$80,000/year, this gap ranges from $28,000 to $72,000 per year, costs that fall entirely on families.
Many autistic children qualify for the DTC, which allows families to claim therapy costs as medical expenses on federal and provincial tax returns, reducing net costs by $1,500-$3,000/year.
DTC-eligible families can open a Registered Disability Savings Plan with up to $90,000 in government matching grants and bonds over the child's lifetime.
Some extended health plans cover speech therapy ($500-$2,500/year) and occupational therapy. Review your plan's health spending account provisions and coordination of benefits options carefully.
While waiting for core services, families may access foundational family services through Access OAP, including caregiver training and group programs that don't require an invitation.
Commitment to Accuracy: Our data is verified against official government reports (FAO, MCCSS), peer-reviewed scientific literature, and accessible public records. Last updated: March 24, 2026.
APA Style:
End The Wait Ontario. (2026). Cost of Private Autism Therapy in Ontario. Retrieved February 3, 2026, from https://www.endthewaitontario.com/answers/private-autism-therapy-costs-ontarioRelated Resources
Verified Facts
Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) delivered to children aged 18–30 months produced significant gains in IQ, adaptive behaviour, and autism severity — some children no longer met diagnostic criteria at follow-up
Cochrane systematic review finds evidence that early intensive behavioural intervention (EIBI) may produce positive effects on adaptive behaviour and communication for young children with ASD (low certainty of evidence)
WHO recommends accessible, community-based early interventions for children with autism — timely evidence-based psychosocial interventions improve communication and social engagement
88,175, children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program
23.4%, Only 20,666 children have active funding agreements () — less than one in four