OAP waitlist coverage
Media reporting reflects a provincial pattern, not individual incidents.
Registered
88,175Children registered
Total in the Ontario Autism Program queue
CBC FOI Jan 2026
Funded
20,666Have active funding
Only 23.4% of registered children
CBC FOI Jan 2026
Waiting
67,509Still waiting
Registered. Diagnosed. Un-funded.
CBC FOI Jan 2026
Verified , CBC FOI Jan 2026
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Children registered | 88,175 |
| Have active funding | 20,666 |
| Still waiting | 67,509 |
Nine original investigations. Key findings: 44.5% of $691M reached core therapy, $57.9M flows to an FIPPA-exempt contractor, eight school board takeovers cover $123.3B in assets.
88,175 registered. 67,509 waiting for a funding agreement. Historical trend and methodology for understanding the official numbers.
$965M allocated for 2026–27. FAO finds $1.35B/year is needed, a $385M annual gap. What the money covers, and what it costs to clear the waitlist.
Eight Ontario school boards under provincial supervision, tracking the legislative and governance developments affecting autistic students.
All datasets, FOI releases, and methodology documentation, structured for journalists, researchers, and families who need verified figures.
Verified Facts
88,175, children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program
23.4%, Only 20,666 children have active funding agreements () — 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 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