AUTISM AND CHURCH
49
Towards an autism friendly church ?
by Cavan Wood
People with autism often have problems with forming relationships and communicating with others . They can lack or have reduced social imagination which can prevent them from understanding other people ’ s emotions . Autism is often evidenced by obsessive behaviours , anxiety , a desire for routine , and sensory overload where they might feel unable to process emotions which can lead to a meltdown . In the light of all that , how autism-friendly is your church ? What might be the barriers for people with autism coming to your services and events ? How much do the leadership and the membership of the church understand what autism is and how it affects the person and the people who love them ?
One aspect is taking language literally or not understanding some conventions of speech . Should churches be surprised that some people with autism might actually try to answer the rhetoric questions that preachers ask , as they might seem to need to be answered ? You might have to find a new way to preach if you are a preacher and find that difficult or you could deliberately try to incorporate that , if you like a risk !
What can we do to support those who have autism and their families ? Here are some ideas .
Prayer
A friend of mine mentioned that when it came to corporate church , their church did not acknowledge the role of parents or the needs of children with disabilities in intercessions . This did change in her church , but we need to think about this . Does the staff team at your church meet to regularly pray for pastoral needs and do they give time to those who are dealing with situations like autism ? The families need to feel supported and prayer is an action that demonstrates it . Does the family with the person with autism have an email address or a phone number to help them get in contact with someone when they may need urgent prayer support ?
Appropriate worship
Hereford Cathedral pioneered an Autism Quiet Hour following work by its Disability Access Officer . They have also provided maps and ear defenders for autistic visitors to use . Hereford Cathedral discovered that others who were not autistic but liked a more reflective style of worship were helped by this and many churches are following suit . What could your church offer ? You may well find that some who do not identify as having autism might find a quieter service , with less noise and more space for silent prayer , very helpful . Any changes you make for people with autism will probably be welcomed by others !
Preparing the congregation
Congregations may need to be prepared and educated by their leadership to understand the needs of people with autism . There is much better understanding about these issues from the media now but meeting a person or a group of people with autism can for some be initially challenging . If their response is not warm , this could make those with autism feel they are not being made welcome .
Pastoral support
Is there someone in your church who can provide some pastoral support to families ? Everyone needs to have a listening ear , someone who can share the darkness or difficulty that people might face . People in families with autism will have a number of tensions and pressure points that will need help .
Care for adults
Look after the adults , not just children and young people . For over 20 years , there has been a group within our church where people with a variety of special needs can meet together . Some are church members , some are not but all are shown love by the care of the group . This has been a major but barely noticed work in the church that I worship in , but it is an act of love . What has been interesting about this is that it started as a work for people then in their teenage years , but is now supporting people with autism and other conditions in their forties .
This work may need to be long term and that takes quite some commitment . It is an act of Christian service which isn ’ t always lauded but is vital work for the kingdom .
Cavan Wood
Cavan is a writer , teacher , preacher and speaker based in Sussex . He has written about religious , moral , cultural and political themes , having written or contributed chapters to over 20 books published by Bloomsbury , Oxford University Press , Bible Reading Fellowship and Hodder amongst others . He is interested in politics , literature , and cinema and is a leader in his local church . He is married with a wife and two children . This article is adapted from research for Entertaining Angels : Living well with autism as a family , in society and in church by Cavan Wood .