Question 1

What does the WHO say about autism early intervention?

Accepted Answer

The World Health Organization recommends early autism intervention within months of diagnosis, during the critical 0-6 neuroplasticity window when therapy is most effective. This is settled international medical consensus, yet Ontario makes children wait 2-7 years—missing the critical window entirely.

Question 2

How long is the wait for autism services in Ontario?

Accepted Answer

Ontario families are waiting 2-7 years for autism services, with over 70,000 children on waitlists as of 2025. This far exceeds WHO recommendations for timely intervention. Children are diagnosed at age 2 and receive services at age 7-9—after the critical developmental window has closed.

Question 3

Why is Ontario ignoring WHO standards?

Accepted Answer

Ontario is the only developed jurisdiction not meeting WHO timely treatment standards for autism. While the US, UK, and Australia provide services within weeks to months of diagnosis, Ontario children wait years. This represents a failure to meet international medical consensus on early intervention.

Question 4

Is autism therapy publicly funded in Ontario?

Accepted Answer

The Ontario Autism Program provides childhood budgets averaging $8,000 annually, but children need $65,000+ for recommended therapy hours (20-40 hours/week). This funding gap, combined with 2-7 year waitlists, means Ontario fails to meet WHO standards for timely, adequate autism intervention.

Question 5

What are our policy demands?

Accepted Answer

We demand Ontario: 1) Implement WHO timely treatment standards—core services within 6 months of diagnosis, 2) Fund actual treatment costs, not token amounts covering 2% of needed hours, 3) Publish monthly waitlist data for accountability, 4) Establish independent oversight of service delivery.

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