We are asking the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services to allow Ontario Autism Program (OAP) funding to be used for adaptive swimming and water-safety instruction delivered by qualified aquatic instructors, without requiring supervision by a Registered Behaviour Analyst (RBA) or another regulated clinician solely for the service to be eligible.

For autistic children, learning to swim can be much more than recreation. Water safety is a life skill.

The American Academy of Pediatrics' 2026 drowning-prevention guidance reports that children and adolescents with autism have approximately three times the risk of fatal drowning compared with those without autism. It also specifically identifies adapted aquatics, swimming instruction modified for people with disabilities, as a way to improve swimming competency in autistic children and adolescents.

Ontario already recognizes swimming as a developmental skill for children with disabilities. The government's Special Services at Home (SSAH) application specifically gives enrolling a child in swimming lessons to improve movement and coordination as an example of a child's developmental goal.

Adaptive swimming for autistic children is also an established practice in Canada. The Canucks Autism Network, for example, teaches autistic children swimming and water-safety skills using the Lifesaving Society's Swim for Life curriculum. Certified aquatic instructors deliver the swimming instruction, while trained staff and volunteers adapt teaching to participants' individual needs.

Under the current OAP Core Clinical Services guidelines, adaptive swimming and water-safety instruction delivered by a qualified aquatic instructor is not an eligible standalone service. This means families cannot use their OAP funding directly for this type of instruction, even when the goal is water safety and functional independence.

We are asking Ontario to change this.

The requested change
Allow families to use OAP funding for adaptive swimming and water-safety instruction when:

• instruction is provided by a certified aquatics instructor from a recognized licensing body;
• the instructor has appropriate training or experience supporting autistic or developmentally disabled swimmers;
• and the program focuses on water safety, swimming competency and functional independence.
• Families should not have to hire an RBA or other clinician simply to make adaptive swimming instruction eligible for OAP funding.

Ontario already recognizes swimming as skill development for children with disabilities. Canadian organizations already demonstrate that aquatic instructors can successfully adapt swimming instruction for autistic children.

Under the former OAP Childhood Budgets and Interim One-Time Funding, families could use funding for community recreational activities and classes, including sports programs, when they promoted independence and developed social, communication or life skills. Adaptive swimming and water-safety instruction are no longer independently eligible under the current Core Clinical Services model.

Please support equitable access to adaptive swimming and water-safety education for autistic children and youth in Ontario.

Sign this petition to ask the Ontario government to make qualified adaptive swimming and water-safety instruction an eligible use of OAP funding.