Spectrum News

Kathrine Peereboom, autism and vulnerable persons advocate, said she believes there needs to be more focus on acceptance and what people can do in a practical way to achieve this. “Autistic people see the world through a different lens, and they engage in a different way – in many different ways,” Ms Peereboom said. “Many […]

For Kathrine Peereboom, life is “quite hectic”.  As a mother of three autistic nonverbal boys under the age of ten, Kathrine and her husband’s day starts at 4:30am. That’s if the family has been able to sleep through the night.  “Even though our eldest is eight, it very much feels like we still have newborns at times,”

Raising three children who are severely autistic comes with countless and ever-changing challenges. However there is one thing keeps Kathrine Peereboom awake at night – the thought of her boys existing in the world as adults. What will happen to them then? Kathrine, 43, and husband Stephen, 52, are devoted parents to Oliver, eight, Joshua,

A woman in Australia who has three sons diagnosed with autism said she was able to notice the telltale signs that pointed to her sons’ disabilities during the children’s developing years. Katherine Peereboom’s three sons, 8-year-old Oliver, 7-year-old Joshua and 6-year-old Tyler, are “severely autistic” and nonverbal, 7News.com.au reported. The 43-year-old Gold Coast mother said she noticed that Oliver’s development was

If someone asked you, “What is autism?” would you be able to give an accurate description? Most people have heard of autism or are familiar with the term “on the spectrum,” but autism spectrum disorder is often widely misunderstood – even though an estimated 164,000 Australians have it, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Survey

“If the government can’t provide support for all Australian’s equally… I believe they need to step down,” Kathrine says. “There are nearly four and a half million Australians with disability who are suffering during this pandemic. “They feel invisible and forgotten,” Kathrine says. Thank you to @7newsaustralia

Last week, my eight-year-old son had his first dental appointment under a general anaesthetic. Deep down I knew he would be absolutely fine, but I was still utterly terrified. His time slot was changed from 7am to 1pm – that meant I couldn’t feed him from 7am. Oliver has an eating disorder which makes him constantly hungry and unable to

October 10th marks World Mental Health Day. An international day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma. The team at Microsoft, have taken the opportunity to highlight the importance of this and ensuring an open dialog is always available to their personnel and partners. Thank you for sharing your story and

When life becomes overwhelming for one of her three profoundly autistic sons, Kathrine Peereboom’s go-to plan is a drive to the local park. The familiar route is one of the quickest ways to soothe Oliver, eight, or Joshua, seven and five-year-old Tyler, who crave routine and thrive in structured environments like most children with Autism

ABC Weekend News with hosts Johanna Nicholson and Fauziah Ibrahim. Lead experts highlight the unique challenges associated with COVID-19 and autism