In the article Award-Winning Mom Stresses Early Autism Services Are Critical (19 January 2026), Ms. Williams referenced concerns raised by Bermudian parents regarding wait times for autism screenings and access to early intervention. While these concerns are valid, BASE must be clear that the most serious and persistent delays are occurring at the assessment stage, which is required for a formal autism diagnosis. These delays continue to leave families in limbo during the most critical developmental period of their children’s lives.

It is understood that the Government has a plan to improve and expand access to both assessments and early intervention services through the Child Development Programme (CDP). BASE spoke publicly about this plan in 2024 during Autism Awareness Month in April. However, there appears to be limited public awareness of any meaningful progress in this area.  More than a year later, there has been little transparent communication or publicly measurable progress. Families are still waiting, and children are still missing out on time-sensitive supports that can significantly improve long-term outcomes.

Of equal and immediate concern is the severe lack of appropriate childcare options for toddlers and preschoolers who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as well as those awaiting diagnosis. Parents consistently report the devastating experience of securing a childcare placement, only to be informed—often when their child is two or three years old—that the programme can no longer accommodate them due to increased support needs.

These children are at an age where mobility increases, raising valid safety concerns such as wandering, and where additional assistance with toileting and supervision is often required. In childcare environments that may operate with only one caregiver per classroom, these needs are not being adequately resourced. The result is not inclusion—it is exclusion. Families are left without childcare, providers are unsupported, and children with ASD are effectively pushed out of early learning environments.

This situation is unacceptable.

BASE urgently calls for immediate and meaningful government action to expand inclusive, government-funded childcare programmes such as Happy Valley Child Care and to significantly increase the number of BPSS Bright Start and Growing Connections preschool programmes across the island. These services are essential infrastructure, not optional supports. Without them, Bermudian families continue to face impossible choices between their livelihoods and their children’s basic needs.