Comparison Guide
| Category | Surrey Place (Toronto) | ErinoakKids (Peel/Halton) |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Toronto (2 Surrey Place) | Multiple locations in Peel and Halton |
| Region served | Toronto (City of Toronto catchment) | Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Halton Hills |
| Assessment model | Team-based DSM-5 ASD assessment | Team-based DSM-5 ASD assessment |
| OHIP coverage | Yes, no cost to family | Yes, no cost to family |
| Referral required | Yes, GP or paediatrician | Yes, GP or paediatrician |
| Reported wait time | Publicly reported as 12–24 months | Publicly reported as 12–24 months |
| OAP-accepted diagnosis | Yes, AccessOAP accepts | Yes, AccessOAP accepts |
| Adult ASD diagnostics | Yes, rare in Ontario (one of few) | Limited to pediatric |
| Intellectual disability services | Yes, full lifespan DD services | Pediatric focus |
| School board integration | Toronto DSB connections | Strong integration with Peel DSB and Halton DSB |
| Therapy services | Assessment + some therapy | Assessment + therapy services offered alongside diagnostics |
Wait times change frequently, confirm directly with surreyplace.ca and erinoakkids.ca.
Surrey Place Centre (2 Surrey Place, Toronto) is a non-profit assessment and support centre specializing in developmental disabilities and autism. Its ASD diagnostic team includes psychology, psychiatry, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy. Surrey Place serves the City of Toronto catchment.
Notably, Surrey Place is one of the few Ontario centres offering adult ASD diagnostic services, a significant gap in the province where most diagnostic programs are pediatric-only. Surrey Place also offers intellectual disability services across the lifespan, making it a resource for families navigating co-occurring diagnoses.
ErinoakKids is a children's treatment centre serving Peel Region (Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon) and Halton Region (Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Halton Hills) through multiple locations. Its ASD diagnostic program follows DSM-5 criteria and produces reports accepted by AccessOAP.
ErinoakKids has strong integration with the Peel District School Board (PDSB) and Halton District School Board (HDSB), and offers therapy services alongside diagnostics, which can reduce the gap between diagnosis and initial therapeutic support for families in the region. ErinoakKids focuses on pediatric services; families with adult children should explore other providers. Visit erinoakkids.ca to confirm current services.
Key takeaway
Families in Toronto: apply to Surrey Place. Families in Peel or Halton: apply to ErinoakKids. Both centres deliver equivalent OHIP-covered ASD assessments. If the wait exceeds 12 months at either centre, consider a parallel private assessment to start the OAP waitlist clock sooner.
Choose based on where you live. Surrey Place serves the City of Toronto catchment. ErinoakKids serves Peel Region (Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon) and Halton Region (Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Halton Hills). Families should apply to the centre that serves their municipality. Travelling across regional boundaries for a diagnostic service that has an equivalent centre nearby is generally unnecessary.
Surrey Place Centre (2 Surrey Place, Toronto) is for Toronto residents. ErinoakKids has multiple locations in Peel and Halton regions. If you are unsure which centre covers your address, contact each centre directly, both have intake teams that can confirm catchment area eligibility.
Families publicly report wait times of approximately 12–24 months at both centres. Wait times fluctuate and are not officially published in real time. Confirm current wait times directly at surreyplace.ca and erinoakkids.ca before making decisions. If waits exceed 12 months, pursuing a private psychologist assessment ($2,500–$4,000, 4–8 weeks) in parallel allows families to register with AccessOAP sooner.
Yes. Both Surrey Place and ErinoakKids produce DSM-5 ASD assessments accepted by AccessOAP for Ontario Autism Program (OAP) registration. With 69,166 children currently waiting for Core Clinical Services, families are advised to register with AccessOAP immediately upon receiving a diagnosis. The OAP waitlist clock starts at registration, not at diagnosis.
Surrey Place additionally offers adult ASD diagnostic services (rare in Ontario), intellectual disability services across the lifespan, and a range of developmental disability supports. ErinoakKids has strong integration with Peel and Halton school boards and offers therapy services alongside diagnostics, which can reduce the gap between diagnosis and initial treatment. Both organizations have their own internal waitlists for post-diagnostic services.
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.