Ultimate gesture of love from mother of three autistic kids

A bright smile, a ready laugh and a big heart. Our Angels Among Us winner is certainly deserving of her title.

Angels Among Us winner Kathrine Peereboom. Photo: Kit Wise.

KATHRINE Peereboom is every proud mum pulling out her phone to show off pictures of her sons, her bright smile and ready laugh never giving away she juggles more than most.

“Oliver will be 7 in July, Josh is nearly 6 and Tyler my baby is 4. Biased mother, but I think they’re adorable,” she says.

“They’ve got a lot of strengths and they’ve got a lot of challenges.

“They’re non-verbal, which means they don’t talk at all, so trying to find a way they can express their needs at the moment is our No. 1 priority.

“They’re still in nappies, but here on the Gold Coast they’re in fantastic schools. They love lots of swimming and jumping on the trampoline.”

The founder and CEO of registered Australian charity Spectrum Support Ltd, dedicated to the safety, health, education and inclusion of autistic Australians, devotes almost every waking minute to creating a brighter future for her kids.

Kathrine Peereboom is founder and CEO of registered Australian charity Spectrum Support Ltd. Photo: Kit Wise.

She’s the deserving winner of the Angels Among Us category in the Harvey Norman Gold Coast Women of the Year.

“My three boys are severely autistic, they have intellectual impairment and different comorbidities, which makes life very colourful at times,” she says.

“My husband’s 6’4 and my boys are all going to be taller and they’re all non-verbal.

“I’d started to see in the media big miscommunications between law enforcement and paramedics and the autistic community, which resulted in fatalities, it resulted in tasers and being taken down.

“As I researched it even more it was so apparent to me we needed to bridge those gaps and that was where I really found my purpose.”

Spectrum Support recently rolled out Australasia’s first autism and law enforcement training.

“Our first two modules have gone out, which is exciting because we’ve already saved lives,” Kathrine says.

“I don’t want my grown-up sons to get shot because of a miscommunication, but we’ve already seen in such a short period of time a shift in attitude.

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“Calls and emails are flooding in and it’s been quite remarkable and humbling to see that a little family from the Gold Coast can make such a big difference.

“Spectrum Support is definitely my calling in life and I’ve just begun.

“It will be never-ending because I’m learning about my children and their needs and, as the community is reaching out to me, I can see there are so many areas where families and autistic individuals aren’t being supported.”

While Kathrine and her husband have self-funded, she says there are two ways people can help.

“Donations or corporate sponsorships are welcome so we can get this training out nationally,” she says.

“We’re looking for volunteers too, so if somebody on the autism spectrum would like to work with us to provide their insights, we’d love that.

“Same with families, carers, disability works – autism is something that not just affects one person, but all the people around them.”