Methodology
View full methodology
Primary sources, citation protocol, and cross-verification practice in detail.
Methodology
Our data standards.
Every number on this site is FOI-sourced, cross-verified, and independently auditable. Our methodology follows rigorous health data principles.
Five practices, applied to every statistic.
Primary sources only
FOI responses, FAO reports, MCCSS publications, Hansard, and budget estimates. No secondary interpretations without primary source verification.
Citation protocol
Every data point includes source document, date, FOI reference number where applicable, and page number.
Cross-verification
Numbers cross-referenced against multiple independent sources (FAO vs. MCCSS vs. budget estimates vs. Statistics Canada).
Update protocol
Data pages include "Last verified" dates. Stale data (>90 days) triggers automatic review.
Correction policy
Any errors identified are corrected with transparent changelog. No silent edits.
The standard we set
91,974 children are registered. 20,711 have active funding. A funding agreement with the program, currently held by roughly one in five registrants, records an administrative status only. Whether care followed the signature is a separate question, one this page cannot answer from these figures alone. Every one of these numbers traces to a specific FOI response or government publication, verify any of them.
The numbers are real
The sources are linked. The data speaks for itself.
Verified References & Sources
Official Government Sources
- [2025]2025 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review (Fall Economic Statement)Government RecordGovernment of Ontario, Ministry of Finance • Government • 2025-10-30
Watchdog Reports
- [2024]Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services: Spending Plan ReviewWatchdog ReportFinancial Accountability Office of Ontario (FAO) • Watchdog report • 2024-06-05
FOI Records
- [2026]Ontario Autism Program figures as of May 13, 2026 (MCCSS, released under Freedom of Information to the Ontario Autism Coalition; published in the OAC "OAP At A Glance" update, July 2026)FOI RecordMinistry of Children, Community and Social Services (Ontario), obtained by the Ontario Autism Coalition • FOI record • 2026-05-13
Official Organizations
- [2025]Autism Spectrum Disorders Fact Sheet (updated September 17, 2025)Government RecordWorld Health Organization (WHO) • Official • 2025-09-17
Peer-Reviewed Research
- [2010]Randomized, Controlled Trial of an Intervention for Toddlers With Autism: The Early Start Denver ModelPeer-ReviewedDawson G, Rogers S, Munson J, et al. (Pediatrics) • Academic • 2010-01-01
- [2018]Early intensive behavioural intervention (EIBI) for young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)Peer-ReviewedReichow B, Hume K, Barton EE, Boyd BA (Cochrane Systematic Review) • Academic • 2018-05-09
- [2015]Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Recommendations for Practice and ResearchPeer-ReviewedZwaigenbaum L, Bauman ML, Stone WL, et al. (Pediatrics) • Academic • 2015-10-01
- MCCSS bi-weekly OAP Core Clinical Services progress reports (FOI release CSS2026-0749). Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (Ontario) (March 2026)
- Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services: Spending Plan Review (2024). Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (2024)
Related Resources
Citable facts from this page(2)
Was End The Wait Ontario included in WHO social media?
On October 29, 2025, a clip of founder Spencer Carroll was included in a World Health Organization Instagram reel (@who) discussing autism diagnosis and early intervention. [WHO] The clip's inclusion highlighted the urgency of timely autism support-the core message End The Wait Ontario advocates for in the Ontario context. Not an endorsement by WHO.
Source: World Health Organization [WHO] · Open source record
How does Ontario compare to international autism standards?
The WHO emphasizes timely access to early evidence-based psychosocial interventions. Ontario's own program and FOI data document a multi-year access problem. The WHO source does not provide a standardized jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction wait-time ranking, so it cannot support a claim that Ontario is among the world's worst performers.
Source: World Health Organization [WHO] · Open source record
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.
Facts8
Sources7
WHO recommends accessible, community-based early interventions for children with autism. Timely evidence-based psychosocial interventions improve communication and social engagement
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
Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) delivered to children aged 18–30 months produced significant gains in IQ, adaptive behaviour, and autism severity — some children no longer met diagnostic criteria at follow-up
Cochrane systematic review finds evidence that early intensive behavioural intervention (EIBI) may produce positive effects on adaptive behaviour and communication for young children with ASD (low certainty of evidence)
Evidence supports autism screening and intervention commencing in the first 2 years of life — earlier identification directly enables earlier intervention during the highest neural plasticity window
Last system verification: 2026-08-10. Next scheduled update: 2026-11-05.
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