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Year-by-year review of the OAP, waitlist, and policy landscape
Every year in this series is measured against the children still waiting.
Registered
91,97491,974Children registered
Total in the Ontario Autism Program queue
MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026
Funded
20,71120,711Have active funding
Only 22.5% of registered children
MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026
Waiting
71,26371,263Still waiting
Registered. Diagnosed. Un-funded.
MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026
Verified , MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Children registered | 91,974 |
| Have active funding | 20,711 |
| Still waiting | 71,263 |
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91,974 children are registered with the Ontario Autism Program. Email your MPP today, your voice matters.
Related Resources
How fast is the Ontario autism waitlist growing?
VerifiedThe Ontario autism waitlist has grown by approximately 290% since 2019. While the government officially registers thousands of new children annually, only a tiny fraction are moved into core clinical services, causing the waitlist to compound year over year.
Source: CBC FOI Jan 2026; FAO Report 2023-24
How has the OAP changed over time?
VerifiedThe OAP shifted from direct service (pre-2019) to a "childhood budget" check system (2019-2020), back to a "needs-based" program (2021-present). Each reset caused massive delays. The current system is needs-based but lacks the funding to serve the 71,263 waiting children (excludes children awaiting diagnosis, MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026).
Source: Political History of OAP
Why is there a backlog in Ontario autism services?
VerifiedThe waitlist for core autism services has grown dramatically. FOI data showed 91,974 children registered (May 2026), representing a massive increase from previous years. Because invitations to core services are limited by fixed budgets, tens of thousands of children remain unserved, creating multi-year backlogs.
Source: MCCSS FOI via OAC · May 2026 · Verify Link
Evidence on this page
Key claims are paired with their source, evidence tier, and verification date so readers can inspect the public record directly.
91,974
children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program
22.5%
Only 20,711 children have active funding agreements (22.5%), less than one in four
WHO recommends accessible, community-based early interventions for children with autism. Timely evidence-based psychosocial interventions improve communication and social engagement