Trigger Warning

The OAP Isn’t Improving

Our July, 2026, update is based on May 13, 2026, numbers. Compared to our February update, there’s no meaningful change in anything but the size of the core services waitlist. Based on what we hear from the community, invitations are being sent out to children who were registered in August, 2021. That’s at minimum a five year wait for any child registering today, and we also know it’s worse in the north, and in rural Ontario. The government hasn’t had anything to say about how they plan to deal with the situation. It seems to be more about getting it wrong instead of “getting it done.” The OAC regularly pays for and files Freedom of Information requests to get updates on the real numbers in the Ontario Autism Program. The government used to publish these numbers on its website, but hasn’t for nearly two years, and the reasons aren’t hard to figure out. Less than 1 in 4 eligible children/youth have access to core clinical services under the OAP. Please share the infographic at left on your social media. Download it by clicking here. You can also click on the image.

Maximus “Max” Simao
2018 – 2025
R.I.P.

Trigger Warning

Spec. Ed. Exclusions Must End

OAC survey data for both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years show that around 33% of special education students are not attending full school days. This prevents them from receiving the free and meaningful education they’re entitled to.

Max Simao was a seven-year-old boy with autism who lost his school support in Octoberm 2025. As a result, Max could only attend school for part of the day. On the afternoon of December 11, 2025, Max was tragically killed after slipping under a Hamilton bus when he should have been in school, where he had every right to be.

The OAC is calling on the Ford government to end special education exclusion and ensure that students receive access to full school days and a meaningful, safe education.

Click Here to Read a One-Page Summary

Trigger Warning

Spec. Ed. Survey Results

Our Special Education Survey for the 2024-25 school year reveals a worsening crisis in Ontario’s special education system, with year-over-year analysis showing that conditions for students living with disabilities are not improving and, in many cases, are deteriorating.

Drawing on community-generated data, frontline accounts, and cross-sector analysis, the report highlights a system under sustained strain, where chronic underfunding and lack of coordinated supports are leaving students increasingly excluded and underserved.

The report confirms what families have been experiencing for years. The system is collapsing. 

Click Here to Read The Full Report

Trigger Warning

Our Community Survey Results Are Shocking

We’ve released our 2025 Community Survey Report, revealing what we already knew: our community is in crisis. The report paints a devastating picture of the Ontario Autism Program and the realities facing autistic people and their families. Paired with the latest data from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS), it exposes a system in freefall, one that continues to abandon over 61,000 children and youth waitlisted for core clinical support. Download the report by clicking on the graphic at right, and read our news release by clicking on the graphic at left.

Who Ya Gonna Call?

Seriously, who? Not the Ghostbusters! If you’ve advocated to your child’s teacher, the SERT, the principal, and the superintendent, who’s next? Usually it’s your school board trustee, but not if your board is under ministry supervision. And not anywhere if Doug Ford and Paul Calandra eliminate trustees everywhere.

The OAC’s 2025 special education survey showed that 29.4% of respondents had called their trustee for help at least once. If that’s true for all special needs students, that’s more than 100,000 calls. Trustees are needed. They’re your democratically elected representatives at the school board, and we can’t afford to lose them. Call your MPP today and tell them not to eliminate trustees.

Returning to Learning

We’ve assembled a list of resources to help with your school advocacy.

Please follow the link:

OAC Education Resources Page

Here’s the news about autism in Ontario

Keep checking back, at least until Facebook comes to their senses & resumes publishing Canadian news.

Media Releases

Briefing Notes to Government

Important Letters