This petition is to demand a stop to the extensive wait times young children who are in dire need of assessments and/or diagnosis’. There are a lot of growing concerns among Ontario families who have been put onto waitlists that sometimes can take up to 1-2 years until service. These children are left waiting in the wings without the proper link to essential and beneficial community resources that could greatly approve their situation. How would you feel if this were your child, niece, nephew, sister, or brother having to wait for an extensive period before they have an assessment therefore have access to useful services that would support their development? This is a travesty! When we live in a province such as this where many medical services are provided under OHIP yet there is so many more young children in need of assessment Vs the actual number of developmental pediatricians and/or psychologists to do the diagnosing. In the last 5 years, there has been much more emphasis placed on awareness and education the significance of early intervention in young children. Health studies, research and common knowledge on child development prove there are many benefits in early ID paired with the proper resources and services. Young children who have been assessed, diagnosed and access to the appropriate services, have many more opportunities to grow, develop and enter their school years along with their peers These children and their families are losing precious time, services and resources as they wait on waitlists for months (and even years) to receive an assessment and diagnosis. I understand that there are a vast number of private sectors/ companies who offer these services, but it is usually at a prohibitive cost for many families. These children are stuck in a ‘limbo’ as they cannot receive services until they receive a diagnosis, yet they can’t get a diagnosis for an extensive amount of time. I have personally witnessed this many times in my line of work and it is absolutely heartbreaking watching these families struggle for support but have no where to turn. They often get to the point where they are literally begging their doctors, caseworkers, teachers etc for assistance. Conclusions: As found on "A Preliminary Investigation of Wait Times for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Canada" Journal" : The findings confirm concerns about the prevalence of wait times for CAMHS in Canada, and also note marked variability. Though shorter wait times for higher priority children and youth is appropriate, current practice does not meet proposed standards of care as they relate to wait times. Future research should determine the impact of service reform efforts on reducing wait times for children with differing clinical priority levels.