A Bermudian mother of three autistic children who was recently selected as the winner of a global entrepreneurship award emphasised the importance of early intervention, education and support services for families like hers.

Stephanie Williams, a businesswoman living in Florida, earned her accolade in the Global Autism Mom Awards for work related to advocacy for autism families, having navigated education systems, medical spaces and social barriers within the US system.

She said in the wake of being featured in a recent article on her award, families from Bermuda had reached out to her speaking of challenges they face locally.

She heard about barriers to early intervention, educational readiness and individualised support.

Ms Williams, who is pursuing dual master’s degrees in clinical mental health counselling and school counselling, told The Royal Gazette: “There have been a few that said the realities families in Bermuda are unfortunately facing have been magnified due to ever-growing diagnoses of autism in children.

“I heard that in Bermuda, there are long wait times for screenings and access to intervention, which is heartbreaking. When it comes to early intervention needs, some families in Bermuda have to choose between rent, food or therapy.

“I have seen first-hand how much of a difference early intervention made for all three of my boys. It is key for children with autism, especially high functioning children, and it can truly change outcomes.

“The additional support put in place, along with state insurance coverage, allowed me access to the majority of the services. Even with that, the journey still required constant advocacy, flexibility and persistence.”

She said that as a Bermudian, she would like to give back to her community, adding: “I would love to connect with local organisations in Bermuda to listen, learn and collaborate on initiatives that bring greater awareness, education and support to autism families on the island.”

The Government’s Child Development Programme and Early Childhood Assessment Team works in partnership with families to diagnose autism and enhance the development of all children from birth to four years, and some government funding is allocated to autism charities.

The Department of Education also provides specialised classes for students on the autism spectrum.

Tomorrow’s Voices — Bermuda Autism Early Intervention Centre was founded in 2007 by parents Tricia Kristoff and Thea Furbert, who experienced first-hand the lack of local services.

The charity said it has since evolved into a comprehensive clinical centre, standing as “a national resource”.

However, last month, Jahnae Harvey, the charity’s executive director, submitted an article to the Gazette saying the need for accessible, evidence-based support was “greater than ever” and donor support was crucial.

Dr Harvey wrote: “We are often the lifeline that makes connection possible — providing life-changing therapy and education for children, teens and adults with autism and developmental disabilities, and helping them to find their voices and thrive.”

Bermuda Autism Support and Education, local autism charity, also provides services in the community including Information and referral for autism services, education and advocacy. The group confirmed Ms Williams’s views on services available in Bermuda.

In 2024, Sherri-Lee Bucci, the president of Base, said that despite strides in autism awareness and acceptance in Bermuda, gaps persist in early intervention, training and education.

Ms Bucci said then: “One of the things that helps people to access services is diagnoses, particularly early diagnoses with young children.

“Everywhere in Bermuda, there is a long waiting list to get an early diagnosis and that is worldwide as well.”

She said services could be costly and that work was being done to make the CDP “truly operational”.

She added that there were no accurate statistics on the number of people with autism in Bermuda.

The latest data from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network provides an estimate that in the US, 1 in 31 8-year-olds in 2022 had been diagnosed with autism.

The National Autistic Society says that more than one in 100 people are autistic in the UK.

Ms Williams said that one of her sons was not developmentally ready to advance to his next grade level — but after choosing retention based on his functional, emotional and developmental needs, he began to thrive.

She said he is now excelling academically, was selected to complete seventh and eighth grade together, earned honour roll recognition and scored the highest in his school on a district assessment.

“His progress reinforced for me that early intervention, individualised support and allowing children the time they need can be life-changing,” Ms Williams said.

However, she emphasised that “every child is different and no single approach fits all”.

“If you were to meet my boys today, you might not recognise that version of them,” she said.

“The truth is, they still have ASD traits that show up in more subtle ways. What has changed is the level of support, advocacy, consistency and intervention that was put in place early on.

“Over time, they were able to transition off medication and we continued focusing on skill-building, emotional regulation and meeting their individual needs.

“I share this not to suggest this is everyone’s outcome, but to give parents hope. Growth looks different for every child. It takes patience, persistence and support. With the right tools and advocacy, children can thrive in ways that may not seem possible early on.”

Ms Williams said that understanding the impact of bullying on children with autism was critical as this can cause lasting emotional harm.

She is now relaunching her non-profit Fostering Connextions providing support groups, advocacy, educational resources and quarterly publications for families.

On winning the award, Ms Williams said: “It is both humbling and deeply meaningful. It represents years of perseverance, faith and purpose-driven work while navigating motherhood and advocacy.”

The Government has been approached for further information and comment.