Overview

• The Ontario government has raised the 2025 autism program budget to $779 million, up from $720 million last year.
• Advocates question how much of the funding will go directly to core therapy services versus administrative and staffing costs.
• As of February 2025, nearly 80,000 children were registered in the program, but only 17,650 had active agreements for core therapy funding.
• Families face wait times exceeding five years for core services, with many reporting difficulties finding providers even after funding approval.
• Critics argue that previous funding increases failed to significantly reduce waitlists, raising doubts about the impact of the latest budget boost.