Recent reports show the OAP waitlist has reached 89,799 registered children, with ongoing service gaps in Northern Ontario.
The crisis in the news
Media coverage reflects a provincial pattern, not individual incidents.
Registered
89,799Children registered
Total in the Ontario Autism Program queue
MCCSS FOI · Mar 2026
Funded
20,633Have active funding
Only 23% of registered children
MCCSS FOI · Mar 2026
Waiting
69,166Still waiting
Registered. Diagnosed. Un-funded.
MCCSS FOI · Mar 2026
Verified , MCCSS FOI · Mar 2026
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Children registered | 89,799 |
| Have active funding | 20,633 |
| Still waiting | 69,166 |
Spencer Carroll interviewed on CBC Radio One about his son's wait for autism services. Follow-up to the CBC News investigation. Aired to Ottawa's political and public-service audience.
Read moreCBC News obtained 18 months of bi-weekly OAP progress reports via FOI, revealing 89,799 registered children and only 23% funded. Features End The Wait Ontario.
Read moreOntario Autism Coalition calls on government to direct the $186M budget increase exclusively to core clinical services. Spencer Carroll calls for independent audit authority.
Read moreNew data shows the waitlist has grown to 89,799 children, leaving thousands more without core clinical services.
Read moreFamilies and advocates will gather to ask for immediate action on the autism services backlog.
Read moreWHO emphasizes the importance of the 0-6 year window for neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Read moreReport on the shortage of providers in Northern communities, where some families travel 4 hours for therapy.
Read moreHas the government cleared the autism backlog?
No. Government claims of "clearing the backlog" refer only to administrative invitations, not actual service delivery. While 89,799 children are registered, 69,166 still lack funding for clinical therapy. March 2026 data confirms that only 23% of children have accessed core services.
Source: OAC FOI Mar 2026 · Verify Link
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
23%
Only 20,633 children have active funding agreements (23%) — less than one in four
OAP registrations jumped 21% since mid-2024, with the number of funded children dipping in some periods despite hundreds more registering
$965M
Ontario allocated $965M to the Ontario Autism Program in 2026-27
WHO recommends accessible, community-based early interventions for children with autism — timely evidence-based psychosocial interventions improve communication and social engagement