Hello gang,
There’s increasing thought being put into how we can help autistic children and their families be integrated into church life, but since realising I’m autistic I’ve realised there isn’t much out there about how to support autistic adults.
Earlier in the week I put a feeler out on Twitter for a series of blog posts on this and the response was positive.
I’ve decided to break these ideas down as much as possible, partly to make writing them more accessible for me, but also to make reading them more accessible for you.
I’m thinking of a few ongoing series based around things like
Getting through the doors
What not to say / debunking myths
Supporting people through realisation / diagnosis
Pastoral care and discipleship
Hospitality with / for / by autistic people
Serving as an autistic person
Biblical reflections on autism
with posts being in bite sized chunks.
Some will be more informative, some personal experience, and some practical suggestions, most, probably a mixture. This is where I need your help…
If you are autistic adult in church, what is your experience relating to these topics?
What do you wish people knew?
What exhausts you about all of *this*?
Or if you are a neurotypical church member/leader, what questions do you have relating to these topics?
Are there topics missing?
Nothing is off the table, I want this to be as helpful as possible for the good of God’s people and the more people involved the more that will happen.
Lastly, I’ll include this at the bottom of each post because I think it’s really important…
There’s a saying that says ‘If you’ve met one autistic person, you’ve met one autistic person’ and it could not be more true. As someone who’s only been self-diagnosed for two years, I’m still learning. If you’re an autistic person and these posts contrast with your own experience or you think there are things missing, please tell me - I promise to listen and incorporate your feedback into future content.
Also, if you’re a neurotypical church member/leader these posts are springboards not black and white rules, they’ll look different in each community and that’s okay. There’s a saying that says ‘If you’ve met one autistic person, you’ve met one autistic person’ and it could not be more true. While I’m more than happy to talk things through with you or be a sounding board, the application of these posts to your community will be best discussed with the autistic people in it.
Looking forward to engaging with you all on this. Here’s to more accessible church communities where everyone feels welcome and the diversity of God’s kingdom is fully shown :)
Hi Eleni, I’ll be watching this with interest. In recent years the realisation that I am autistic has become clearer to me as I learn more and reflect on my life. Without realising it I have managed to develop coping strategies, while never really understanding why I felt different to others; why some things are just so difficult and very tiring - the overthinking is especially exhausting!
I still find it hard to articulate how it affects me as, like you, I’m still learning.
For example: walking into a church - I tend not to be able to see who is there as my soul focus is in finding a seat, especially if I’m late, and I struggle if my usual area is occupied. Perhaps that appears rude; who knows!? I’ve learned to slow myself down - that helps a lot.
I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Keep calm and carry on writing...
Paul