Primary sources include: Financial Accountability Office (FAO) annual reports, Ontario Auditor General reviews, OHRC policy statements, FOI requests, and AccessOAP program data. Latest FOI data (Dec 2025) shows 87,692 registered children with only 23% receiving services (up from 70,176 and 28% in March 2024, representing 281% growth since 2019).

The WHO Fact Sheet on Autism Spectrum Disorders (2023) states that timely access to early evidence-based psychosocial interventions can improve the ability of autistic children to communicate effectively and interact socially. Dawson et al. (2010, Pediatrics; PMID 20008426) confirmed in an RCT that EIBI at 18–30 months produced significant developmental gains.

Dawson et al. (2010, Pediatrics; PMID 20008426) demonstrated in an RCT that EIBI begun at ages 18–30 months produced significant gains in IQ and adaptive behaviour. Zwaigenbaum et al. (2015, Pediatrics; PMID 26585778) and the Reichow et al. (2018) Cochrane Review (PMID 30537386) support intervention within the first 2 years of life as the highest-plasticity window.

The Financial Accountability Office (FAO) obtains data directly from MCCSS administrative systems. FAO reports include: total registrations, service enrollment counts, funding expenditures, and per-child spending averages. FAO is non-partisan and independent of government.

The Ontario Auditor General (2013, follow-up 2015) found: inadequate wait time tracking, insufficient oversight of therapy providers, and families waiting years without updates. The FAO (2020, 2024) found the program chronically underfunded. Most accountability recommendations remain unimplemented.