Deny Soto was advised to “get on the list” when her son was diagnosed with autism. Back in 2022, she complied without fully grasping the implications. Fast forward four years, and her nine-year-old son, Nico Tsirigotis, remains on the waiting list for government funding for essential autism services like occupational therapy or applied behavior analysis.
“It’s disheartening because that was a crucial aspect of his growth,” expressed Soto. “We missed out on any potential support during that period. We’ve been navigating this journey independently, exploring alternatives, but the opportunities we might have missed are unknown.”
Nico is just one of over 67,500 autistic children in the province awaiting access to funding for core clinical services under the Ontario Autism Program, as revealed by government records obtained through a freedom of information (FOI) request. A review by CBC News of bi-weekly progress reports spanning from late June 2024 to early January this year unveiled the total number of registered children seeking funding for core services and the percentage actually receiving it for services such as speech-language pathology and occupational therapy.
Despite recent increases in provincial funding, the proportion of Ontario children with autism registered in the program and benefiting from funding had not exceeded 25% as of the January 7 progress report, amidst growing demand. The number of registered children surged by 21% since mid-2024 to reach 88,175 kids by January, with only 20,666 having secured funding agreements for services.
An Ontario Autism Coalition survey from the previous year highlighted that parents endured a wait of at least five years before obtaining funding. Alina Cameron, the coalition’s president, emphasized the significance of early intervention, lamenting the missed opportunities due to the prolonged wait times.
The provincial government recently pledged $186 million in new funding for the Ontario Autism Program in the yearly budget. This injection raises the annual funding to $965 million, aiming to enhance access to core clinical services for more children and youth. While acknowledging the funding increase, Cameron stressed the need for further commitments to allocate all new funding towards families for core clinical services, citing the past year’s funding hike failing to alleviate the core wait list.
Spencer Carroll, whose son was diagnosed with autism at a young age, shared their family’s financial strain from paying for core services while awaiting government support. Carroll, recognizing a lack of comprehensive resources for parents, established the website “End the Wait Ontario” to collate information on the Ontario Autism Program. He emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability in fund allocation and program effectiveness.
The reports also revealed fluctuations in the number of children receiving funding, prompting concerns from advocates like Cameron about inadequate accessibility to essential programs. Soto remains hopeful that once Nico receives funding, it will significantly enhance his quality of life and opportunities for growth.