ONTAutismCoalition

The Ontario Autism Coalition is a grassroots organization dedicated to improving the quality of services available to autistic individuals and their families.

[CityNews Toronto @CityNewsTO]

Parents from Toronto District School Board are writing letters to the provincially appointed supervisor in an attempt to stop some of the changes proposed for the upcoming school year. https://t.co/mPKJecAz2p

[ONTAutismCoalition @OntAutism]

Our president @Alina_Cameron & working group member @whoaNelly29 joined @JPHornick to talk about the beleaguered Ontario Autism Program.

70,000 kids waitlisted for core clinical services & a third party is profiting 🧐

Record level investments in whom, exactly? @MichaelParsa

[Alina Cameron 🇨🇦 💉 🔬 @Alina_Cameron]

Ontario families have spent years hearing about new structures, new processes, 'record funding,' and new administrators. Meanwhile, over 70,000 children remain without core clinical autism services.

The priority must be funding services, not bureaucracy. Children can't pause time while @fordnation spends a decade "getting it done."

@OntAutism #onpoli #cdnpoli #70KIsNotOK #NeedsBasedTherapy
https://t.co/Y2GcT6nD6M

[ONTAutismCoalition @OntAutism]

Thank you @whoaNelly29 @Alina_Cameron and @JPHornick for representing the community so well. Thank you @ctv_jon for bringing our story into the light.

#onpoli #onted #70KIsNotOK #NeedsBasedTherapy

And as always #solidarity with @OPSEU

https://t.co/uYMOJnghBv

[Alina Cameron 🇨🇦 💉 🔬 @Alina_Cameron]

This article captures exactly why so many families are frustrated with the Ontario Autism Program.

While over 70K children wait yrs for meaningful services, the Ford government continues increasing red tape, bloating bureaucracy, and trying to hide the truth - that this program wasn't built to scale and they're perfectly ok with kids languishing on waitlists for YEARS.

The Ministry's response also repeats a familiar talking point; that families have access to "pillar programs." They present these as evidence the system is working.

It isn't.

Many families never access these programs. Those who do receive the pillars quickly realize they are very short-term/one-time, age/behaviour-specific supports; not the ongoing Core Clinical Services many autistic children need.

We heard this loud and clear from families across Ontario in the Ontario Autism Coalition's 2025 Community Survey. Read what they had to say about pillar programs and the years-long wait for services: https://t.co/V5PQtV65Xu

Families don't need another layer of administration. They need transparency, accountability, and funded services that reach children; not more bureaucracy. #onpoli #70KIsNotOK #NeedsBasedTherapy #Onted

Thank you @OPSEU and @ctv_jon for keeping this story alive. Our community appreciates this.

https://t.co/Y2GcT6nD6M

[Alina Cameron 🇨🇦 💉 🔬 @Alina_Cameron]

Thank you to @OPSEU and @Thetrilliumca for helping @OntAutism keep this story alive.

There are now over 70,000 children & youth waitlisted for core autism services funding in Ontario.

Those kids are waiting 5.19 yrs for access.

It’s such a long wait that most kids are aging out of the higher funding brackets, or out of the program all together.

This program was never built to scale. It’s been bad planning, poor management, and willful ignorance all along. They KNOW. The OPSEU FOI documents prove that THEY KNEW THIS ALL ALONG.

@fordnation is failing the majority of the kids who need these clinical services. I hear from struggling families every single day. This is cruelty.

@MichaelParsa We’ve been bringing you community information and solutions, for over 3 years and nothing has changed….except the waitlist.

That’s ballooned to over 70k kids.

Tell us what we need to do.

#70KIsNotOK

[ONTAutismCoalition @OntAutism]

Excellent thread by OAC president @Alina_Cameron reviewing some of the larger governance changes the Ford government has made in recent years.

These changes are already having massive real world consequences in Ontario.

[Alina Cameron 🇨🇦 💉 🔬 @Alina_Cameron]

🧵1/ Over @fordnation's tenure Ontario has seen a noticeable shift in who makes decisions.

Across education, municipalities, planning, & conservation (to name a few), authority has increasingly moved away from locally elected bodies to Queen's Park.

Here's what that looks like

[ONTAutismCoalition @OntAutism]

@fordnation https://t.co/pGtBPQKlOB

[ONTAutismCoalition @OntAutism]

Excellent work Ottawa area advocates!
You did it!

❤️💛💜🤩🌈

[CTV Ottawa @ctvottawa]

Ottawa Catholic School Board keeping bus attendants for students with special needs https://t.co/GuhQMBJLNJ

[OSSTF Communications @osstf]

“If you speak with educators, parents, and students... it’s evident the public education system needs fixing. Educators are overwhelmed, schools are in disrepair, violence is pervasive, and students—especially those with special education needs—are struggling.”

This in-depth look at school board supervision and the province's education reforms from The Local raises important questions about whether these sweeping changes actually address the challenges facing Ontario's classrooms.

From underfunding and staff layoffs to special education supports and school safety, the issues affecting students and families extend far beyond any one community.

It's a story playing out in school boards across Ontario as the province expands its control over public education: https://t.co/3sAwrKNWqF

#OSSTF #OntEd #OnPoli

[Alina Cameron 🇨🇦 💉 🔬 @Alina_Cameron]

“…for a government that is trailing in the polls that is a pretty desperate look to erase the flags from the photos and adjust the colours of the shirts so that they appear to be your supporters,”

I agree @JPHornick!

#solidarity

[AODA Alliance @aodaalliance]

8th Episode of Disability Rights and Wrongs -- The David Lepodcast dives into More About the Huge Advocacy Drive in Ontario by Parents of Children with Autism https://t.co/KRrGAOh7px @davidlepofsky ,@OntAutism #accessibility #OntEd

[ONTAutismCoalition @OntAutism]

A very timely research publication from our friends at @sikhsforautism.

The OAC strongly supports community led data collection. This valuable work is a launching point.

Congratulations allies!
#sikhsforautism #NeedsBasedTherapy #70KIsNotOK #AutismIsLifelong

[Sikhs For Autism @sikhsforautism]

New Publication research by #sikhsforautism and @AddedResearch focused on Sikh caregivers perceptions on autism. Study underscores the need for cultural competence in educational practices and increased community awareness. #autism Read publication here: https://t.co/P5umvBUEZS

[ONTAutismCoalition @OntAutism]

@sikhsforautism @AddedResearch This is fantastic @sikhsforautism! Well are here for culturally, community led, data collection and story telling. Well done and congratulations 🎉

[ONTAutismCoalition @OntAutism]

@ColinDMello This government is exhausting.

[ONTAutismCoalition @OntAutism]

We’re standing together with communities across Ontario. We are stronger when we work together by continuing to speak our collective truths. ❤️💛💜
#onpoli #DontLookAwayOntario #70KIsNotOK

[Alina Cameron 🇨🇦 💉 🔬 @Alina_Cameron]

Every single @fordnation announcement is a spin, an overselling, an obfuscation of reality. This is why I’m helping communities find their voice, standing with them when they speak their truths. Ford has done too much damage. Too many have sacrificed everything. @OntAutism

[ONTAutismCoalition @OntAutism]

@blogTO We’re with you @TinaYazdani ❤️💛💜

[ONTAutismCoalition @OntAutism]

@GabeOatley But there isn’t a moratorium. It’s only when HE decides - without any input from the community in which the school sits. https://t.co/YjZDIgXlFX

[OSSTF Communications @osstf]

A $6.4 million cut to special education funding at the TDSB is not just a Toronto problem. It reflects a growing crisis in schools across Ontario.

Student needs are increasing, but supports are not keeping pace. Teachers and education workers are already stretching limited resources to support students every day.

Every Ontario student deserves access to the supports they need to succeed. Public education needs real investment in special education, not cuts.

#OntEd #OSSTF #OnPoli

[ONTAutismCoalition @OntAutism]

Pride is a reminder that everyone deserves to belong.

For autistic members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, inclusion means support, safety, community, & the freedom to be themselves.

We celebrate diversity & stand with those continuing to fight for equality.

[ONTAutismCoalition @OntAutism]

We stand in solidarity with @OPSEU workers!

Our community has been living with endless waitlists, staffing shortages, burnout, & lack of support for years.

This strike is exposing the damage that underfunding has done to Ontario public services. #Solidarity #onpoli

[ONTAutismCoalition @OntAutism]

Today is #PSWDay! Personal Support Workers across ON provide essential care, dignity, & compassion every day. PSWs are vital to our care systems, supporting seniors, people living w disability, & families. They deserve fair wages, safe staffing levels, & better working conditions