Why It Matters

“She was finally allowed to just be herself.”
—Linda, Parent

When Linda’s daughter, Olivia, was born during COVID lockdowns, the isolation made it nearly impossible to understand what was typical and what needed support. As a single mother, she fought through delayed diagnoses, broken promises, and a system that seemed more interested in ticking boxes than truly helping.

“Everyone says they want to help. But no one actually takes the time to understand your child, or you.”

The turning point came when Linda was introduced to Spectroom by chance. What she found wasn’t just a service, it was a lifeline.

“For the first time, Olivia started speaking. She could tell us what she felt. What she needed. What she liked. I was finally able to toilet train her. The changes were life-changing.”

For her and Olivia, Spectroom isn’t just a service. It’s where they found a place in the world that often refuses to make space for people who don’t fit the mould.

“It gave us hope where there was none. And I don’t know where we’d be if it didn’t exist.”

“He’s happier here than anywhere else.”
—Shams, parent

Juju’s journey started early, when he was just one years old, Shams noticed her son wasn’t reaching the usual milestones. After a long frustration year chasing answers through doctors and specialists, Juju was diagnosed with autism. It was a shock, she had never really known much about autism. At first denial took hold. She thought maybe it was just a delay, but as reality set in, so did the struggle to find real support.

“The ministry sent people to our home, but it was all just paperwork and visits that didn’t teach me how to help Juju or connect with him.”

Everything hanged when a physiotherapist from Starship Hospital told her about Spectroom. At first, Shams was hesitant, unsure and needing courage to visit. But once Juju stepped inside, the place felt like a revelation.

Then there was Maria, a specialist at Spectroom who quickly connected with Juju in a way that no one else had.

“From the very first session, Juju made eye contact, smiled, and engaged with her. Maria understands because she’s a mum to an autistic child too, she knows what it’s like.”

Today, Juju is more connected and confident. He looks forward to walk through our doors, and that joy is everything to Shams.

“It’s given me the tools to support Juju and believe he can thrive. The support here has been real, not just empty promises. I tell every family who feels lost or stuck to come here.”

Before Georgia found the right support, she spent years searching in the dark, scrolling late into the night, chasing services that made big promises but never really saw her son. Kyuss is non-verbal, autistic, and full of heart. But too often, he was overlooked, treated like a diagnoses, not a person.

“No one asked about who he is. No one wanted to know him.”

It was exhausting and lonely. Georgia learned to lower her expectations just to survive each outing. Then she found Spectroom.

What changed everything was discovering a place that didn’t just include Kyuss, it embraced him. At Spectroom, he’s not pushed to the side-lines. He’s met where he is.

“I didn’t even know a place like this could even exist. He’s just so happy here.”

Georgia isn’t spending every moment on edge anymore. She doesn’t have to explain or fight to be heard. She can just breathe.

“I feel like I’ve achieved something. I found a place where my son belongs."

The Stand Tū Māia village in Tāmaki Makaurau have been able to bring a small group of tamariki to visit your sensory gym facility twice over the last month. These visits have been more beneficial than we ever could have predicted. At Stand Tū Māia we have seen a significant increase in 5 through 8-year-old tamariki referred to our service for support concerning behavioural and neurodiverse needs. Meeting the high and complex needs of these tamariki has led to an adaptation in many of our programmes as we seek to find creative ways to support tamariki with self-regulation, social competency, self-identity, and belonging.
This collaboration with Spectroom has been the perfect addition to our kete of learning experiences for our tamariki. The sensory gym is a stimulating, fun, and a safe space for our tamariki to explore, play, learn, create, socialise and be themselves. The gym itself is created with such consideration for the sensory seeking but also the sensory avoidant. Over the two visits that we’ve experienced at Spectroom, we’ve observed our tamariki engage in purposeful play with the use of different sensory resources to support their regulation.

Upon our most recent visit, we observed one of our most complex tamariki, not only engaged positively with a peer, but also showed empathy and compassion for others which is a significant shift in his behaviour. While the tamariki thoroughly enjoy a play at Spectroom, we can also see the incredible impacts that this therapeutic environment has had on our tamariki overall wellbeing.

We truly appreciate the effort and care that it takes to provide a space such as this for our tamariki to enjoy and we look forward to what the future holds for our collaboration with Mac and the team at Spectroom.

Dear Mac and Maria,
I am writing on behalf of Aim High Charitable Trust to formally accept your generous offer of providing free services. I am pleased to confirm that Spectroom Charitable trust has graciously offered us free access to Spectroom Play Zone for the students and teachers of Aim High Education Centre.

Aim High Charitable trust is a disability support organisation in Auckland that operates Aim High Education Centre and a non-profit enterprise called Aim High Cafe for people with disabilities. The education centre provides a day service and holiday programme for all ages, and the cafe offer volunteering opportunities and vocational training for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
As a non-profit organisation, we rely on support from donors and volunteers. However, it is always challenging to provide a wide range of activities and maintain a stable teaching staff for our day service and holiday programme. Your offer allows the children at our education centre to broaden their experiences in the safe and secure space of Spectroom’s play area, without any financial burden.

We would like to establish a lasting cooperative relationship between Spectroom Charitable Trust and Aim High Charitable Trust.

Once again, thank you for your support. Your contribution has been greatly appreciated.