Summary
Join Anna Kennedy on her birthday special at Women’s Radio Station, where she sits down with her charity patron Stephen Smith and charity champion Joe Wiggins to discuss their powerful work in autism advocacy. Stephen shares how judging an autism awareness competition completely changed his perspective on autism, revealing shocking stories of bullying and the incredible resilience of autistic individuals that motivated him to become a dedicated patron for five years. Joe opens up about her son Ryan’s challenging journey through multiple school changes due to bullying, his late diagnosis at age 10 after a six-year wait, and how discovering Autism’s Got Talent became a turning point that gave him confidence and purpose. The conversation highlights the ongoing crisis in autism diagnosis wait times, with some families waiting up to seven years, and Anna’s plans to survey families again to address these critical delays and advocate for better support services.