Six Years Later: Ontario Autism Program Promises Broken

Today marks six (6) years since the 2019 announcement of the Ford Government’s plans for the Ontario Autism Program; a file that sat stagnant and seemingly forgotten since Premier Ford had taken office the previous summer.

The former Minister of Children Community and Social Services (MCCSS), Lisa MacLeod announced a complete program overhaul describing a situation that abandoned families and blocked access to early intervention. The Minister declared the state of the waitlist “unconscionable:” 23,000 children and youth “languishing” and waiting upwards to 2 years for necessary services.

Despite initial promises to “clear the waitlist,” reduce wait times and connect families with funding for therapy, February 6 remains an anniversary unworthy of celebration.

Today, despite Minister Parsa’s claim to have delivered a program designed “by the community, for the community,” the waitlist number once deemed “unconscionable” has now more than doubled in size and the government’s self-described “needs-based” program layers age on top of need as criteria to issue funding.

After six years, children with registration dates the same six years ago are now receiving funding, however the rate at which they are coming off the waitlist is exceeded by that of those joining it. The waitlist is far from ‘clear,’ the program a far cry from ‘needs-based’ and the future for the community, bleak.

More than 50,000 children and youth who have registered for the Ontario Autism Program continue to wait for an invitation to access Core Clinical Services: direct funding to help purchase life-changing therapy in the private sector, assuming it is available. Whereas new, smaller, limited-time programs have been introduced for some, access to ongoing, individualized, clinical supports are wholly out of reach. This is not good enough.

Our community remains in crisis, many with years left to wait for clinical therapy and without even the consolation of an estimated wait time. The Ontario Autism Coalition reminds the Minister that the Ontario Autism Program is a time-sensitive file, and new offerings for preschool-aged children do not benefit others who have already spent five years on a waitlist for clinical services. We continue to call on Premier Ford and MCCSS to make urgent improvements that eliminate discriminatory assessment criteria, address countless systemic barriers, and direct adequate funding efficiently to the core services that matter most.

Six years later much remains the same: impossibly long waitlists, thousands of children in need of support and promises made, promises broken.