Ten months ago, Ciré Fubert-Lambert, 10, hardly noticed if a motorcycle went by in the street. Now he goes to the window to watch.

For his mother, Thea Furbert, this simple action is a minor miracle.

Ciré is one of four clients at Bermuda's first autism therapy support centre, Tomorrow's Voices, that opened last October in Smith's parish.

"It was easy to complain that the Government wasn't doing enough, but instead, we said 'you know what; let's just do it'," said Erica Smith, Tomorrow's Voices chairman, and also Ciré's aunt. "Actions speak louder than words. Getting this open is a testament to our fortitude, because people told us we couldn't do it. They said, 'You are never going to do it'. 'You will never get the funding'. 'You won't make a difference, so why are you even doing this?'"

Ciré's mother, Thea Furbert, a graphic designer, is a board member and acting manager of the facility.

She started Tomorrow's Voices along with another parent, Trish Crowe, and Ms Smith. The parents are also members of the separate charity Bermuda Autism Support & Education (BASE).

"Tomorrow's Voices is more about services, and BASE is more about providing community education and support to families," said Ms Furbert. "Trish and myself have always felt that we can't just educate the community.

"We also have to do something. As parents we wanted to make sure our children were being provided with the services that they needed."

She said the all-day, one-on-one therapy at Tomorrow's Voices has made a great difference for her son.

"Before, if Ciré's cousins came around for a visit he ignored them," she said. "With his favourite aunty, he could not maintain eye contact.

"He wasn't verbalising before, and now he is starting to do that. For us, that is astronomical. He has also grown and is more mature and is following directions. He is more alive than he was."

It is estimated that one in 150 people in a population will have an autism spectrum disorder including pervasive developmental disorder, Tourettes, and Aspergers syndrome, among others. It is more common among boys than girls, although some girls can have it also.

"It is an epidemic in Bermuda and in the world," said Ms Furbert. "It may take three to six to nine months for a child to get an assessment.

"For Ciré it was a three-day process, where he saw a range of professionals. At the end of it they sat us down and told us he had autism.

"Normally, if we'd lived in the United States, we would have started an intervention programme immediately after the diagnosis. But we had to go back to Bermuda.

"It took three months just for the paperwork to get here."

She said one of the problems in Bermuda is just getting paediatricians to listen to parents' concerns about the development of their children.

"Doctors have to be more up to speed on the characteristics of autism," Ms Furbert said. "For example, when a parent takes their son in and says 'he isn't walking yet', paediatricians often say, 'oh, boys don't walk as soon as girls'. We can't accept those statements anymore."

Ms Furbert said early intervention is key for children with autism, but there is no known cure.

Ms Smith said that before Tomorrow's Voices opened, services had to be provided by parents themselves, which often meant hiring an occupational therapist for $30,000 to $50,000 a year.

"That can be quite a financial burden for a lot of parents," said Ms Smith.

Funding for Tomorrow's Voices came through grants from the public and private sector and through Government. Parents also pay tuition.

"We would make it free if we possibly could, but I will tell you their tuition here is less than if they were paying a therapist themselves," said Ms Furbert. "The first year our budget was $750,000. We could definitely use more funding."

At Tomorrow's Voices, a language-based therapy is followed within a Verbal Behaviour/Applied Behavioural Analysis framework.

"We chose this therapy because it is considered to be well documented, using proven scientific therapies for working with children with autistic spectrum disorders," said Ms Smith.

Using this method, everything the child does is recorded. From this data, therapists track the child's progress and build on previous successes.

Other therapies such as physical therapy, are obtained through the Government school system. Eventually, Tomorrow's Voices would like to expand the type of therapies they offer.

At Tomorrow's Voices, each child's therapy is tailored specifically to them.

When we visited some of the children were doing table top exercises with flash cards and puzzles, while others were listening to music.

The children each had a motivator. For some of the children it was bits of popcorn or sweets (in very small quantities), movies or music. "We use whatever works," said Ms Furbert. "Food can be a big motivator, and it is not a lot at the end of the day. Some of them will work for a tiny little piece of popcorn."

"We also have a natural environment where we get them simulated into real world scenarios," said Ms Smith. "The whole point of this is to get them to communicate, socialise, to reduce behaviours that are not considered to be appropriate.".

Tomorrow's Voices is in the process of ordering equipment for a sensory room, similar to the one at Windreach Recreational Village. Many people with autism suffer from sensory problems such as oversensitivity to light or touch."

The Tomorrow's Voices programme is all day, following recommendations that children with autism have 30 to 40 hours a week of intensive therapy. Each of the children is also registered with a preschool or primary school. During the week they attend certain classes with their peers.

Of the four therapists working at Tomorrow's Voices, one is Bermudian, Natasha Pedro Petty. She came into the field through psychology and neuroscience, but it is also possible to come into it through a special needs teaching route.

"One of our goals is to be able to facilitate the training of Bermudians," said Ms Smith. "Even if they are not working for us, at least that knowledge is in Bermuda and stays in Bermuda." Ms Furbert said that ultimately, centres and programmes like Tomorrow's Voices save a community a lot of money.

"A person with an autistic spectrum disorder who has received no therapeutic intervention could cost Government somewhere around $30 million over the course of their lives," she said. "If you provide intervention it is reduced down to $3 million. It is a very important thing.

"We want to let parents know that we are here, and early intervention is the key for their children. Providing the intervention that is necessary will definitely provide a change in the child's life."

Tomorrow's Voices currently has four students, but can take more. They hope to accept more clients when the school year turns again in September. The present clients are ages five to 10, but their mandate is to help children between the ages of two and 21.

"In terms of taking a young adult, there is no loss of hope," she said. "But you might not see the same results as if you started intervention at age two." For more information, contact Ms Furbert at 297-4342 or e-mail tomorrowsvoices@northrock.bm.