Ontario Autism Program funding is age-banded from $5,000 to $40,000 per year. 91,974 children are registered, 20,711 have active funding agreements as of CBC FOI Jan 2026.
The OAP waitlist now exceeds 91,974 children with wait times of 5+ years. We break down current wait times by region and what you can do while waiting.
The Ontario autism waitlist has reached a historic high of 91,974 children. Learn about the causes, impacts, and what families can do while waiting for critical services.
Has the government cleared the autism backlog?
No. Government claims of "clearing the backlog" refer only to administrative invitations, not actual service delivery. While 91,974 children are registered, 71,263 still lack funding for clinical therapy. May 2026 data confirms that only 22.5% of children have accessed core services.
Source: MCCSS FOI via OAC · Mar 2026 · Verify Link
Can autistic students get an educational assistant (EA)?
Schools may assign EAs based on IEP needs, but 47% of families report insufficient supports. EA availability varies by board and often fails to match clinical needs, leaving many autistic students without necessary classroom support.
Source: Ontario Education Act & OAC · Verify Link
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.
91,974
children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program
According to the FAO (2020 report), OAP funding covers less than one-third of estimated need at 2018-19 service levels
$965M
Ontario allocated $965M to the Ontario Autism Program in 2026-27
22.5%
Only 20,711 children have active funding agreements (22.5%) — less than one in four
WHO recommends accessible, community-based early interventions for children with autism — timely evidence-based psychosocial interventions improve communication and social engagement