Our mission statement
"Empowering individuals and families to achieve their goals, enhance quality of life, and feel supported every step of the way."
Spectrum SA offers a wide range of Developmental Education supports designed to build skills, confidence, and independence. These services are evidence-based, neurodivergent-affirming, and trauma-informed, and are always tailored to the unique goals and circumstances of each individual and family.
Meet your Developmental Educator
Penny Sawyer
An experienced Developmental Educator, I provide services to clients in the Gawler, Barossa, and northern suburbs of Adelaide.
I hold a Master’s Degree in Disability Policy and Practice from Flinders University and a Bachelor of Teaching from UniSA. My passion is supporting people with disability of all ages to build independence, strengthen daily living skills, and participate more fully in their communities.
The Spectrum SA Journey
July 2015 – Jan 2020 | Established and operated Spectrum SA as a sole trader, providing Disability Counselling and Advocacy services to individuals and families in the Gawler and surrounding regions, whilst studying her Master of Disability Policy & Practice at Flinders University.
Jan 2020 – Dec 2025 | Invited to join Action Psychology SA, a well-regarded psychology practice in Gawler. Over six years Penny worked as part of their multidisciplinary team, refining her skills in disability therapy, counselling, case management, report writing, and collaborative practice.
Dec 2025 – Present | Relaunched Spectrum SA building on experience, and continuinng to providing quality, person-centred therapeutic supports. Ongoing collaboration with Action Psychology SA ensures clients benefit from strong partnerships and shared expertise.
Alongside her professional training and qualifications, Penny also brings lived experience as a neurodivergent person (formally diagnosed as Autistic and ADHD).
Over the past 25 years, she has raised two neurodivergent children with her neurodivergent husband, Phil, also working as a teacher and Cub Scout Leader with neurodivergent students and children.
This personal perspective, combined with over a decade of professional experience as a therapist, counsellor, and Developmental Educator, allows Penny to provide supports that are not only evidence-based but also practical, affirming, and deeply attuned to the real-world experiences of individuals and families.
She provides client-centred, neurodivergent-affirming, and trauma-informed services, drawing on approaches such as Collaborative & Proactive Solutions, family systems approaches, Functional Behaviour and Capacity Assessments, Executive Functioning coaching, neurodiversity-affirming capacity building, interoception and body-awareness frameworks, counselling-informed strategies, and the principles of Positive Behaviour Support.