Preparing content
Your child is 18 or older, beyond the Ontario Autism Program, which serves children and youth. The path now is adult developmental services through Developmental Services Ontario (DSO), along with adult income and disability supports. If you haven’t already connected with DSO, that’s the next step — it has its own eligibility and wait. This isn’t a dead end; it’s a different door.
Connect with DSO
Contact Developmental Services Ontario to begin or continue the adult-services process.
Review adult benefits
Look at adult income and disability supports your family may be eligible for.
Keep your records
Adult services need the diagnosis and assessment history — keep them together.
My child is 18 or older. What adult developmental services are available through DSO, and how do I apply? Please reply in writing.
SOURCE
Government of Ontario • 2024-01-01
Last updated: 2026-07-04
Verified Facts
89,799, children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program
23%, Only 20,633 children have active funding agreements — less than one in four
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
$965M, Ontario allocated to the Ontario Autism Program in 2026-27