Evidence supports autism screening and intervention commencing in the first 2 years of life — earlier identification directly enables earlier intervention during the highest neural plasticity window
Parent Navigator
A plain-language explanation of this stage and the next steps available to your family.
You have a written autism diagnosis but haven’t registered with the Ontario Autism Program. Registering is the next step, and the sooner the better — your registration date is the start of your wait. Registration is handled by AccessOAP, the independent organization that manages OAP intake. When you register, ask for written confirmation of your registration and its date. That confirmation is the single most important document to keep.
Register through AccessOAP
Contact AccessOAP to register your child. Have the written diagnosis ready.
Get written confirmation
Ask AccessOAP to confirm, in writing, that you’re registered and the date. Save it.
Start your records and timeline
Log the registration date — it anchors everything that follows.
I’d like to register my child, who has a written autism diagnosis, with the Ontario Autism Program. Once registered, please confirm my registration and its date in writing.
SOURCE
Government of Ontario • 2024-01-01
Last updated: 2026-07-04
Evidence on this page
Key claims are paired with their source, evidence tier, and verification date so readers can inspect the public record directly.
Evidence supports autism screening and intervention commencing in the first 2 years of life — earlier identification directly enables earlier intervention during the highest neural plasticity window
1 in 50
According to the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, about 1 in 50 children and youth aged 1 to 17 in Canada had an autism diagnosis
WHO recommends accessible, community-based early interventions for children with autism. Timely evidence-based psychosocial interventions improve communication and social engagement
91,974
children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program
22.5%
Only 20,711 children have active funding agreements (22.5%), less than one in four
$965M
Ontario allocated $965M to the Ontario Autism Program in 2026-27