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As of January 7, 2026, the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) waitlist contains 88,175 registered children, with 67,509 (76.6%) waiting for funded core services. Only 20,666 children (23.4%) hold active funding agreements. This figure is from the OAP bi-weekly progress report (January 7, 2026) obtained via Freedom of Information request by CBC News.
Source: OAP bi-weekly progress report (January 7, 2026), obtained via Freedom of Information request by CBC News. View full methodology and data.
The children behind the programme
Every statistic on this page represents a child still waiting for funded support.
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 |
Each dot represents ~220 children.
Each dot = ~220 childrenSource: CBC FOI Jan 2026 | Updated January 2026
As of January 7, 2026, 88,175 children are registered with the Ontario Autism Program (OAP). Of these, only 20,666 (23.4%) have active Core Funding Agreements, leaving 67,509 children (76.6%) waiting without funded services. This data comes from the OAP bi-weekly progress report obtained via Freedom of Information request by CBC News (published March 30, 2026). The waitlist has grown approximately 285% since the 2019 OAP redesign baseline of ~23,000 registrations.
Source: OAP bi-weekly progress report (January 7, 2026), obtained via Freedom of Information request by CBC News. Cross-reference: Ontario Autism Coalition FOI, December 10, 2025.
| Metric | Count | % of Registered | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Registered | 88,175 | 100% | All OAP registrations |
| Without Active Funding | 67,509 | 76.6% | Waiting for services |
| Enrolled in Core Clinical Services | 20,666 | 23.4% | In assessment or service pipeline |
| Active Funding Agreements | 20,666 | 23.4% | Receiving funded services |
| Backlog Indicator | 67,509 | N/A | Children still waiting for a funding agreement |
| Annual Funding Gap | $570M+ | N/A | FAO 2020 estimate at 2018-19 service levels |
Publicly available program data shows registrations increasing substantially over time. The January 7, 2026 count (CBC News FOI) is source-attributed; earlier years below should be treated as contextual estimates rather than a single definitive historical series.
| Year | Registered | With Funding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | ~23,000 | N/A | Pre-reform baseline estimate |
| 2020 | ~35,000 | N/A | Post-reform registration surge |
| 2021 | ~50,000 | N/A | Continued growth, COVID disruptions |
| 2022 | ~60,000 | N/A | FAO first warning |
| 2023 | ~70,000 | N/A | FAO second analysis |
| 2024 | ~80,000 | ~18,000 | Core Clinical Services launch |
| Jan 2026 | 88,175 | 20,666 | OAP progress report Jan 7 2026 (CBC News FOI, verified) |
* 2019-2024 figures are estimates based on government statements, media reports, and third-party analysis. January 7, 2026 (CBC News FOI) is the strongest source-attributed figure in this table.
The Financial Accountability Office of Ontario estimated in 2020 that $1.35B was needed annually to serve all children at 2018-19 service levels. Ontario's 2026-27 budget allocates $965 million to the OAP, leaving a gap of approximately $385M. However, with 88,175 children now registered (more than double the ~40,700 the FAO based its estimate on), the actual funding needed to clear the waitlist likely exceeds $1.9 billion. At current enrollment rates, a child registered today could wait approximately 19 years for services.
Full FAO Report Analysis →As of January 7, 2026, 88,175 children are registered with the Ontario Autism Program (OAP). Of these, only 20,666 (23.4%) have active funding agreements. The remaining 67,509 children (76.6%) are waiting for funded services. This figure comes from the OAP bi-weekly progress report (January 7, 2026) obtained via Freedom of Information request by CBC News.
As of January 7, 2026, the OAP bi-weekly progress report (obtained via CBC News FOI) reported 88,175 children registered in OAP and 67,509 still waiting for a funding agreement. Those counts support the conclusion that delays are substantial, but this page does not assign a single province-wide average wait in years.
OAP program materials describe funding and service streams with different amounts and eligibility pathways. FAO analysis has also discussed structural funding pressure in the program. This page avoids unsupported province-wide therapy-cost comparisons unless the source is directly cited on the page.
Publicly available program data shows registrations rising over time, with 88,175 children reported as registered as of January 7, 2026 (CBC News FOI). This page avoids assigning a precise growth percentage unless the baseline used for that calculation is directly published in the same source chain.
All waitlist statistics are available for download. The CSV includes annual data from 2019-2025 and all metrics compiled from FOI requests.
For full waitlist statistics and data:
View Ontario Autism Waitlist Data →Find your next step
01 · For new families
Step-by-step guide to OAP registration, interim therapy options, and what to expect during the wait.
02 · Already waiting
Estimate your wait time, find funded interim services near you, and track your OAP status.
03 · Take action
Email your MPP with one click, share verified data, and advocate for system-wide reform.
Commitment to Accuracy: Our data is verified against official government reports (FAO, MCCSS), peer-reviewed scientific literature, and accessible public records. Last updated: March 24, 2026.
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
$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
According to the FAO (2020 report), OAP funding covers less than one-third of estimated need at 2018-19 service levels