91,974
children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program
Direct answer
The FAO's 2024 review of ministry spending reported 70,176 children registered with the Ontario Autism Program. It also reported 19,966 children enrolled in core clinical services, and 14,290 who had received payments. The FAO report does not count an OAP waitlist. The current figures on this page come from MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026.
Financial Accountability Office of Ontario, 2024 · MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026 · Verified 2026-08-10
Waitlist figures as of · reviewed
Sources: FAO Report 2023-24 (Financial Accountability Office of Ontario) · 2026 Ontario Budget (tabled March 26, 2026) · CBC News FOI investigation — bi-weekly OAP progress reports, Jun 2024 – Jan 2026, published Mar 30, 2026 (Nicole Brockbank & Angelina King) · MCCSS bi-weekly OAP Core Clinical Services progress reports, Dec 10, 2025 – Mar 4, 2026, obtained under Freedom of Information (release CSS2026-0749) · MCCSS Ontario Autism Program figures as of May 13, 2026, released under Freedom of Information to the Ontario Autism Coalition and published in the OAC "OAP At A Glance" update, July 2026 (ontarioautismcoalition.com)
Report Summary
- The approximate 2019 registration baseline was 23,000. The FAO's most recent spending review reported 70,176 children registered; as of May 2026, 91,974 are registered.
- The FAO reported 19,966 children enrolled in Core Clinical Services as of February 2024, but only 14,290 who had received a payment.
- Even the 22.5% of children with an active core clinical services funding agreement have an agreement that is not proof of service receipt, given current funding levels.
- The shift to a fee-for-service model has placed the administrative burden on families while service capacity remains stagnant.
The policy behind the numbers
71,263 registered children do not have an active Core Funding Agreement. These are current FOI figures, not FAO findings.
Ontario's figures, as of May 2026 (MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026).
Registered
91,974Children registered
Total registered in the Ontario Autism Program
Funded
20,711Have active funding
22.5% of registered children
Without active agreement
71,263Without an active funding agreement
An administrative status; it does not confirm current service delivery.
Show as table
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Children registered | 91,974 |
| Have active funding | 20,711 |
| Without an active funding agreement | 71,263 |
MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026; current OAP figures. · Updated
Key Findings: FAO and FOI Figures
- Waiting for Core Funding
71,263 children
Registered children without an active Core Funding Agreement. Source: MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026. Not an FAO figure. The FAO report does not count an OAP waitlist.
- Funding Rate
22.5%
22.5% of registered children have an active Core Funding Agreement. The latest FAO comparison reported 28.5% enrolled in Core Clinical Services in February 2024; enrollment does not confirm a payment.
- Registration to Invitation
Multi-year
Estimated typical time from registration to a core clinical service invitation runs to several years (MCCSS FOI via OAC historical tracking; not an FAO figure; no official province-wide average is published)
- Annual Spending
$628 million
Total OAP expenditure in 2022-23 (FAO)
Sources: FAO 2024 MCCSS spending review; MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026. · Updated
Detailed Discovery: Where Does the Money Go?
- Enrolment and Payments
The FAO reported that enrolment in Core Clinical Services and payments made are different measures.
Why it matters
"An enrolment count alone does not show how many children have received funded services."
- Administrative Bottlenecks
The rollout of AccessOAP and the new diagnostic intake process caused significant delays.
Why it matters
"Families waited longer for invitations to core clinical services."
- Service Capacity
Lack of qualified therapists (BCBAs, SLPs, OTs) limits the ability to scale clinical services.
Why it matters
"Funding alone cannot fix the waitlist without a matching increase in the clinical workforce."
Understanding the Implementation Chasm
2018-2019
OAP Redesign Announced
Shift from direct service delivery to a fee-for-service / direct funding model.
Fiscal Consequence
Waitlist numbers began to accelerate as the old system was paused.
2021-2022
AccessOAP Launch
Centralized administrative body created to manage intake and funding.
Fiscal Consequence
Rollout delays kept families in intake for longer.
2023-2025
Waitlist Peak
Registration reaches 91,974+ while core clinical service invitations remain slow.
Fiscal Consequence
Only ~22.5% of registered children have an active core clinical funding agreement, which is not proof of service receipt.
Questions About the FAO Report
An active funding agreement does not confirm service receipt. The FAO's most recent spending review reported 70,176 children registered, and 28.5% enrolled in Core Clinical Services as of February 2024. As of May 13, 2026, 27% are enrolled and 22.5% have an active Core Funding Agreement. These are different measures.
Ontario reported $628 million in OAP spending in 2022-23. This page does not compare it with an unsupported historical total.
The FAO's 2024 review covers ministry spending plans. See the linked report and the evidence block for the source material.
22.5% of registered children have an active Core Funding Agreement as of May 2026. Separately, 27% are enrolled in Core Clinical Services. An agreement is not proof of service receipt. The FAO reported 28.5% enrolled in February 2024; enrollment and funding agreement are different measures.
Ontario reported $628 million in OAP spending in 2022-23. The 2026-27 OAP budget is $965M, compared with $779M in 2025-26. Provincial programs differ in eligibility, covered services, accounting, and reporting, so these figures cannot support a national performance ranking.
The FAO did not make explicit policy recommendations; its mandate is financial analysis. Its Ontario findings document registrations, spending, and how many children the planned funding could cover. Direct funding, regional delivery, workforce expansion, and ongoing interim support are policy options advanced by advocates and experts, not recommendations or cross-province performance findings from the FAO.
The approximate 2019 registration baseline was 23,000. The FAO's most recent spending review reported 70,176 children registered. As of May 2026, 91,974 children were registered.
The FAO report does not estimate the cost of delayed services.
Help End the Wait
- MCCSS Ontario Autism Program figures, May 13, 2026, obtained by the Ontario Autism Coalition under Freedom of Information. Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (Ontario), obtained by the Ontario Autism Coalition (May 13, 2026)
- Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services: Spending Plan Review (2024). Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (2024)
Related guides
Guides and tools related to this page.
Sources on this page
The source chain stays visible.
Key claims are paired with their source, evidence tier, and verification date so readers can inspect the public record directly.
Facts4
Sources3
The FAO estimated $1.35 billion in annual OAP need at 2018-19 service levels for approximately 40,700 children in its 2020 report
$965M
Ontario allocated $965M to the Ontario Autism Program in 2026-27
22.5%
Only 20,711 children have active funding agreements (22.5%), less than one in four
Last system verification: 2026-08-10. Next scheduled update: 2026-11-05.
About this page
Check the author’s context, review method, and how to report an error.