When Will My Child Get Off the OAP Waitlist?

As of May 2026, 91,974 children are registered with the Ontario Autism Program and 71,263 of them are waiting for funded therapy. Comparing the OAP progress reports from January 7 to May 13, 2026, registrations rose by approximately 918 children per month while active funding agreements rose by only approximately 11 per month, meaning the unfunded waitlist grew by approximately 907 children per month. The Ontario Autism Coalition reports 5+ years for families registered in August 2021 (community-reported, Ontario Autism Coalition, July 2026). The waitlist has grown every year since OAP's restructuring in 2019.

No. Under the current OAP system, waitlist position is determined solely by registration date, the date you first called AccessOAP. There is no application, advocate, or medical urgency that can advance your child's position in the queue. The only exception is the Urgent Response Service (URS) for children in acute crisis, which provides short-term intensive support but does not change your permanent waitlist position.

Moving regions does not change your provincial waitlist position. OAP uses a single provincial waitlist, not regional sub-lists. Your registration date remains the same regardless of which Ontario region you live in. Some families mistakenly believe that moving to smaller regions will help, but this has no effect on wait time.

Children can receive OAP funding until age 18. If your child reaches the front of the waitlist before 18, they will receive a funding invitation and needs assessment. Children who turn 18 while still on the waitlist are transitioned to adult services, which have different eligibility criteria and significant gaps. This is a documented crisis affecting thousands of Ontario families each year.

The OAP waitlist emerged after the Ontario government restructured the Ontario Autism Program in April 2019, replacing the previous IBI-only model with a broader but under-funded system. Since 2019, the waitlist has grown from approximately 23,000 to over 91,974 as of May 2026, more than tripling in size.

The OAP waitlist is getting longer. Comparing the OAP progress reports from January 7 to May 13, 2026, registrations rose by approximately 918 children per month, but active funding agreements rose by only approximately 11 per month, meaning the unfunded waitlist grew by approximately 907 children per month. The Financial Accountability Office of Ontario projects the waitlist will continue to grow without significant funding increases.