Ontario’s autism service system is complex, fragmented, and often difficult to navigate. Improvements are a major challenge because they require whole-system thinking, when most services and supports remain siloed.
This presentation will provide a data-informed overview of the current autism service landscape in Ontario. Drawing on studies of lived experience and systems-level analyses, we will examine how families move from first concerns through diagnosis, school years, and into adulthood, and how structural factors such as funding models, workforce distribution, and regional capacity shape those pathways. The focus is practical: how the pieces of the system fit together, where they do not, and what this means for families, advocates, educators, clinicians, and decision-makers. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how Ontario’s autism service system is structured and how data can support informed advocacy, planning, and opportunities system improvement.