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Autism and the Church

Grant Project

Autism and the Church

With little research comparing how children’s relationship with God is (or isn’t) impacted by their relationship with their local church community, this project centers research about Autistic children and their families. It offers supports which brings needed training and resources to churches and catechists.

Chapters:

What is Neurodiversity?
Resources
Theology
Practical Support

When we ponder autistic children (and adults), we need a theological framework.

We need a way to ponder God’s central dream for humanity and enter into the process of supporting God’s work. When we are struggling to connect with a child or even contain our big emotions, it’s helpful to hold the Good Shepherd’s words as given in John 10:10 as our anchor.

Here are three translations of this verse:

  • I have come to give life with joy and abundance.
  • I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.
  • I have come that they may have life – life in all its fullness.

Our goal is to give the child the joyful and abundant life in Christ. To orient ourselves to this work, we employ the compass provided for us in Luke 10.

One translation puts it this way: “Love the Eternal One your God with everything you have: all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind”—and “love your neighbor as yourself.”

“We cannot love God unless we love each other, and to love we must know each other. We know Him in the breaking of bread, and we know each other in the breaking of bread, and we are not alone anymore. Heaven is a banquet and life is a banquet, too, even with a crust, where there is companionship.”

-Dorothy Day (The Long Loneliness).

This compass involves the engagement of all of our beings. The body is not left out. The mind is not left out. ALL of our heart, mind, strength, and soul is to be engaged in this process. When we can glimpse our intrinsically loved self as God’s, then we can extend the intrinsic love to others.

This is the ultimate call to have inclusive spaces rich with opportunities to engage our entire beings in the love of God and partner to contribute to the “order, to the peace, and to the harmony of the whole universe.” (Cavaletti translated into English for the 9-12s Maxims Cards)

Project Leader: Elizabeth Vice

Elizabeth Vice began her journey as an educator at the feet of her mother who loved learning and sharing what she learned with others. Elizabeth has years of training and education in human development, Montessori pedagogy, and theology. As Theologian with Children at Parkside Church, she combines all of these skills to assist the children as they live the reality that they are loved by God; experience a deep connection throughout time by means of the historic church calendar and practices; and are nurtured by the Holy Spirit and community as they find their place in the Kingdom of God.
Along the way she learned the nuts and bolts of advertising and marketing through rub-on letters and an original 128k Mac – all culminating in a degree in Corporate Communications from the College of Charleston. She enjoys supporting the team as they share CCTheo resources and a caring community to everyone.
In her other life she owns The Inclusive Atrium and makes atrium materials for herself and others. She lives in North Charleston, SC with her husband, and they are immensely proud of their adult son and daughter.

What is Neurodiversity?

Judy Singer, an Australian sociologist, coined the word “neurodiversity” in 1998 to recognize that everyone’s brain develops in a unique way.  
Neurodivergent is a non-medical term that describes people whose brains develop or work differently for some reason. This means the person has different strengths and struggles from people whose brains develop or work more typically. While some people who are neurodivergent have medical conditions, it also happens to people where a medical condition or diagnosis hasn’t been identified.

Naturally occurring divergence in information processing. Each neurodiverse person’s brain processes information differently – we can make very broad generalizations about categories/diagnoses.

Because each brain is unique, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all definition. Neurodivergent experiences are heavily dictated by other people. Children begin to see themselves through the stigmas, prejudices, and discrimination they experience.

Autism is one of many ways people’s brains can exhibit neurodivergence.

Autism

The medical diagnosis is Autism Spectrum Disorder and is a difference which exhibits itself in numerous ways.

Note: many autistic folks do not like to be called ASD or to be referred to as “disordered.” This is a medical term denoting deviation from the average/normal. But disorder in everyday conversation doesn’t mean a deviation. It means a problem. It is not a term to be used in general conversation.

Because of the sheer diversity in autism, I’m not defining much. Areas where autism interacts with the way the world is experienced differently are:

  • Sensory Differences
    Communication
  • Executive Function Skills
  • Repetitive Behaviors (and interests)
  • Self-soothing behaviors (stimming

AUTISM IS A DISABILITY

Some autistic people struggle because of systems or processes that don’t give them a chance to show off their strengths or that create new or more intense challenges for them. This is why they are classified as disabled.

For an autistic child, an accommodation is a way for the wider society to accept that this person is different or has challenges. Society gives them a tool or a way to succeed. For the people who are autistic, it might look like being allowed to move around a designated area or to use headphones.

DISORDER

In science the term disorder is a deviation from the norm.  This phrase can be part of the person’s scientific diagnosis (ie: DSM-V). But, when used by people outside of a medical field it is often perceived by a neurodiverse person as a form of “othering” or reminding them they don’t quite belong.

Be careful in the way you use scientific diagnosis terms in the church.

Research shows words and language related to autism make a difference in how people live. Helping children who are autistic learn that it means they’re different — not sick or defective — supports them to be happier and have higher aims in life.

WORDS MATTER

If you are referring to a list of best practices that is five years old, you are not exercising best practices. Autism, as with all disabilities, is a constant moving target. No more so than in previous decades because autistic folks are speaking out about how they want to be addressed, what supports work best, and how their disability affects them.

Resources

Note: As you engage with the resources, please know that a wide range of denominations are represented here. All theological approaches are decidedly Christian. However, the resources on specific autism topics may not have a Christian approach or moral framework. They were chosen because they have valuable information for us to ponder.

Overview and Definitions

 

Ticktock, Facebook and Instagram

 

How do we define who is Autistic

In an attempt to show empathy, people can make comments that are harmful. Here’s how we can help frame these comments to support self-advocy for children.

What do parents need to hear and what support can you provide to lay the foundations for a strong partnership. This set of responses is a great place to start.

 

Disability and Self-Advocacy

 

No, Really!

Well meaning people say really interesting things that can be very hurtful. Sometimes these are magnified by well meaning organizations that have been around a while.
Just Stemming talks about their experiences and struggles. Their vulnerability in sharing gives a glimpse into often hidden parts of Autistic lives.

ABA Therapy – a couple of thoughts

I don’t discount this therapy. In fact to get grants for some other therapies (like equine therapy) in my area you must have a certain number of hours of ABA therapy. I also know teens and adults who can consent to ABA therapy and choose it – they’re at an age where they can have agency. So they can choose to enter into a challenging situation for themselves.

But for those working in a Montessori space, ABA is considered incompatible because it doesn’t allow for consent and agency – core to the Montessori honoring of children.

 

Podcasts

Theology

Aimée O’Connell‘s Thought of Prayer and Neurodiversity

Lightly edited for brevity and clarity

The manner in which any person prays, autistic or non autistic, is always going to be an extension and expression of how much that person processes information, approaches relationships, and experiences emotion. 

I feel this is especially relevant for autistic people. The manner in which we have experienced trust over the course of our development is very important to understand autistic people’s trust in God – the central anchor of prayer.

How well a person feels able to trust themselves and how the person feels safe and able to trust others. 

A huge number of autistic people hear from a very young age that our ways of processing are wrong, that our emotions are incorrect, that our communication style is inadequate, and that our interpretations are off.
These messages typically come from the people we turn to when we’re most vulnerable. 

If we consistently hear that what we say, need, and ask for is wrong, we learn to doubt ourselves, mistrust our own wisdom, and expect that our best efforts are never quite enough. 

Yet, we simultaneously know on some level that our thoughts, needs, and feelings are true, which means that the people we trust are perhaps not trustworthy at all. 

Aimée O’Connell  began the Mission of Saint Thorlak, now known as Autism Consecrated, in 2017 with the goal of discussing autism and spirituality via the example of its namesake, St. Thorlak of Iceland. 

Her writing draws from contemplative (primarily Carmelite) spirituality, her master’s degree in school psychology and perspective as an autistic individual. Aimée has authored the Novena in Honor of Saint Thorlak, approved in 2018 by Bishop David B. Tencer of Reykjavik

Learn more about her work here.

If they don’t believe us, then why should we relate to them as our unmasked “true” selves.

This dynamic is probably the biggest obstacle for autistic people. 

Why? 

Because the act of praying requires us to first be vulnerable and then to engage with a power greater than ourselves, both of which we have become conditioned to dread.

How can we expect God to love us unconditionally when we are rarely accepted as who we are? 

How can we expect God to hear us when the people around us do not? 
How can we expect God to take our needs seriously when the people we trust don’t? 

When people say God is truth, do they mean truth like we tell it?
Simple. 
Unspun.
Blunt? 

Or do they mean that God works like people do, tripping us up with unstated rules or withholding help and approval until we say and do the right combination of things to be pleased enough? 

What Neurodivergent people have to overcome is that neuro-normative social rules do not define God, or how he relates to us, or how we relate to him, autistic or not. 

Yet the majority of literature and instruction surrounding prayer has been created by and taught by neurotypical people for neurotypical people. 
So, in short, the ways which people of any neurotype interpret and express prayer are highly variable and dependent on their individual manner of processing information, language, relationships, emotion, and communication.

When an autistic person feels disconnected from prayer, Any or all of the factors need to be considered in terms of how safe that person feels in being vulnerable and needy before God. 

We’ve often had a great deal of healing to be addressed before we can even start thriving in our eternal lives, let alone begin to be, begin to consider the manner in which we best connect to God in prayer.

Overview of Disability & Theology Reading List

 

Practical Theology of Disability Reading List

 

Autism & Theology Reading List

 

Autistic and Christian

Practical Support

Autistic children are not little angels nor are they spiritual savants:

People with disabilities are not specially gifted to be in communion with God.  This is often the narrative that adults place on  people with disabilities. Rather we are people who may catch a glimpse of God from our different vantage point and uniquely share it with those around us. Their parents are not specially gifted by God with this child because they can handle it.

To tell a parent that God only chooses special people to have disabled children borders on cruel. They hold the child through meltdowns while trying desperately not to melt down themselves. They call out to God and ask when will it get better. They need community to walk with them and support them. Not to gloss over the reality of their lives.

 

Offering Pathways to Success for Neurodiverse Children in Christian Formation

  • Routine
    • Have a pattern the class follows – first we wash our hands, then we…..
    • Have a photo schedule of the pattern that child can check – taking shoes off, washing hands, choosing work, cleaning something, coming to circle
  • Solo Work
    • Help the child defend not having others with them on their very creative journey
  • Help with literalism
    • With parables: define that you are using a metaphor
    • Interpret other children’s comments as needed to help the child understand the idiom or meaning to what they are saying
  • Quite corner
    • A space where any child may go to re-calibrate – it’s a bit like the Montessori peace table without the peace part.
    • Your prayer table may serve this function. However, if a child is loosing it in circle, the child has no place to go to calm
    • Possibly: a cushion, ear defenders, emotions chart, items from the calming basket