Ontario Disability Support Program
Passport Program & Special Services at Home
Most autistic adults in Ontario require all three programs: ODSP for income support, Passport for community participation and day programs, and SSAH for in-home respite. They are complementary, not competing. Apply for all three simultaneously — do not wait for one to be approved before applying for the others. Waitlists for Passport can be as long as OAP itself. Begin the SSAH application while your child is still in the OAP system.
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
US$2.4M
Lifetime support costs for autism with co-occurring intellectual disability can reach US$2.4 million per person (Buescher et al.)
1 in 50
According to the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, about children and youth aged 1 to 17 in Canada had an autism diagnosis
According to the FAO (2020 report), OAP funding covers less than one-third of estimated need at 2018-19 service levels
WHO recommends accessible, community-based early interventions for children with autism — timely evidence-based psychosocial interventions improve communication and social engagement
$200/month
The Canada Disability Benefit provides up to for eligible Canadians with disabilities