by Elizabeth Vice
A group of children is seated intently gazing at the sheep gathered around a table. A voice floats by, “I’m the third sheep.” This child’s voice trails off as his socked feet silently propel him forward in yet another circuit of the room. For anyone walking past the room and peering in, Harry looks untethered from the lesson, uncontrolled and unfocused. However, he’s very intently part of the group. Harry is autistic. When he becomes interested in something and is thinking hard, he moves. The more intently he thinks, the more he moves.
Kannei is sitting at a central table with a pin map in front of her. Another child has a piece of paper with the title “places” scribed at the top. Around them a group of children are reading the call of Abraham. When a place is named, everyone pauses as the scribe writes it down. Kannei finds the pin and puts it into the correct location. She traces a route from pin to pin. The children return later for her to clarify the order of places and tell them the name of the desert crossed. Kannei is dyslexic. When scripture passages are read round robin, she finds it embarrassing to read aloud, so she is the keeper of all the places, carefully tracking Abram’s progress. She is central to the group’s ponderings.
Jacque’s whole body is arched as he puts his full energy into kneading dough. “Look! I’m helping the yeast do its work more quickly!” he calls out. The stiff dough yields under his successful push; he gathers the edges up and curls them over. A poof of flour glides to the floor. He grabs a damp sponge to capture it. Jacque has ADHD and his body needs heavy gross motor actions to prepare it for coming to circle with the group to play the silence game.
Each of these children and many more can challenge adults to create ways for them to be agents in their own spiritual formation. Through carefully observation and pondering, we can provide the supports needed. We can help their peers recognize the unique perspective they bring and create a place where community can flourish.
How can our church become more aware and supportive of the gifts offered by neurodiverse people?
How can our children recognize neurodiverse children’s place in the community?
How do we support families with neurodiverse children?
How does our theology of disability lead to othering of neurodiverse people? When we can shift our theological perspective, we can celebrate the unique gifts and talents neurodiversity can bring. Neurodiverse folks make great adults in children’s ministry. How do you recruit, retain, and support them?
What simple actions can your church take to be more welcoming to neurodiverse people of any age? How do you evaluate your church’s capacity to offer supports? How do you set reasonable boundaries and expectations?
What questions do you ask parents to better understand their children? Navigating the multitude of ways parents react to a diagnosis is challenging. Let’s discuss phrases to enter into those conversations. How do you support neurodiverse families? Being the parent of a neurodiverse child can be lonely and isolating. The church should be a place where they receive positive, nurturing interactions. What might scaffolding look like for the various ages and branches of the neurodiverse tree? Partnering with the child’s strengths can be challenging. Let’s ponder the characteristics and questions to ask yourself about ways to build scaffolding to support their conversation with God and one another.
The Good Shepherd’s voice calls each person regardless of their brain’s wiring. Neurodiverse children have the same yearning to follow the Good Shepherd and be a part of the True Vine. Let’s share stories of spaces made, unexpected joys, deep challenges, and profound hope. In our upcoming workshops on neurodiversity in the church, we will ponder the neurodiverse child and celebrate the perspective they bring while discussing the particular scaffolding which might be needed to support their spiritual journey.
One Response
I must say I found this topic somewhat daunting, but midway through this current workshop (November 2024) I am finding the “call” of understanding neurodiverse individuals as a practice of justice and an expression of belief in each human being being formed in God’s image and likeness. I am looking forward to continuing the conversation and exploring ways to respond in love to behaviors that challenge my current ideas about what behaviors are acceptable and what adjustments I need to make in my thinking in order to create an environment that meet the needs of neurodivergent children (and adults) in order to fully be who God created them to be.