We meet Dee Thomson, who runs Spectrum Adventures, providing adventure camps for children with autism and ADHD and their families. Dee has been nominated for a 2024 Australian of the Year Award.
Tell us about your Scottish background and involvement with Highland dancing.
“My grandfather’s family on my dad’s side came from Lockerbie in Scotland. The family settled in Casino, northern New South Wales, where my grandfather Sam ran a car sales yard until his death when my dad was in his teens.
“As a consequence, my childhood pursuit of dance meant I had the joy of doing both ballet and Highland for years – wearing my dress Thomson kilt until I shot up, injuring myself with swords and traveling all over southeast Queensland most weekends in the pursuit of dance competitions. I studied dance with Petrea Gibbins School of Dance and Balmoral dance, both in Brisbane.”
Did you enjoy the social and travelling aspects?
“I always found the highland dance community to be super social, with regular Friday night ceilidhs at the Brisbane Caledonian Society at East Brisbane. I loved dancing to live bagpipes, and even took part in a debutante tradition alongside the Wynnum Pipe Band. When I entered my teens and had to choose which dance to continue, Highland won my heart.”
Why did you set up Spectrum Adventures?
“I set up Spectrum Adventures three years ago with a friend. We saw a need to bring social opportunities to connect our autistic community beyond random catch-ups.
“We also understood the growing body of evidence around natural, organic neurodivergent connection – rather than following prescribed or behavioral approaches in what social supports should look like.
“We knew our autistic community needed opportunities for genuine, natural opportunities to explore friendship and form a connection over shared interests.
How does camp help these children?
“I’ve seen children whose parents have told me they have no friends, they struggle with forming connections among peers, and those children have found a safe space at camp, where stims, noises and movement are encouraged.”
How does the camp help parents and families?
“For some families who attend camp, going away for a weekend is unheard of. Seeing their children or family go out to dinner at all is something they don’t do. Often spaces are too overwhelming, noisy, or food is too unfamiliar for our families to consider. It all becomes too hard.
“At camp, we remove all of these barriers. We provide accommodation that is private so each family has a retreat.
“We take care of food preparation and provision. We also book exclusive activities so that the general public isn’t waiting for children who may need more time than usual to try new things. So if they struggle, they are alongside others who get it, and children can experience new things with their parents alongside to support them and celebrate with them.”
What does the work at Spectrum Adventures mean to you?
“This work delivers great meaning and joy to my life. I myself am neurodivergent, like other parents I meet at Spectrum Adventures. Discovering my own inherent and deep understanding of my children’s needs came alongside years of attending therapies or advocating for school or supports in different environments.”
How can people get in touch with you or learn more about Spectrum Adventures?
“Via the website or socials! I’m always around to chat and delight in autistic family life. My camps are very popular and unique in our approach to support the whole family unit to build everyone’s capacity.”
For more information, go to spectrumadventures.com.au
Anglo&Celtic 