Autism and Faith: A Journey into Community

Autism and Faith: A Journey into Community is a new resource for clergy, religious educators, and families of autistic children to develop “inclusive spiritual supports” for autistic individuals in religious settings. The 52-page guide was developed by the Autism and Faith Task Force of COSAC, New Jersey’s main autism organization, and the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, which is in the Department of Pediatrics at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. More about the guide:

The Task Force worked for more than two years collecting stories and experiences from families, best practices and strategies from clergy and human service professionals, and resources from around the country.

The guide features more than fifteen short articles written by clergy, parents, professional experts on autism, religious educators and people with autism, illustrated by numerous sidebar stories and examples from families who shared their experiences, both positive and negative, with their own faith communities in New Jersey. It is interfaith, including examples from Christian, Jewish, Hindu, and Muslim communities.

There’s also some first-person accounts by autistic individuals.

The guide was edited by Mary Beth Walsh, PhD, and Alice Walsh, MDiv (both of whom are parents of autistic children) and Bill Gaventa, MDiv. Mary Beth Walsh and Bill Gaventa also spoke at the 2006 conference on Autism and Advocacy at Fordham University that my husband, Jim Fisher, put together. (Video clips of the conference can be seen here and provide more insights into the work of “inclusive spiritual supports.”)

A number of the guide’s sections feature practical suggestions for including autistic children and adults in religious settings, such as seeking out a family-oriented service where a little noise is not uncommon; familiarize your child with the physical space of the sanctuary; use concrete language and visual aides when instructing a child; make a point of introducing yourself and your child to your religious leader before attending a service.

Jim and I contributed an essay to the guide, “Autism: Presence & Justice.” The essay is mostly Jim (he’s a cultural historian of religion) and much less of me. (As in, much, much less.) Here’s the last paragraph of the essay, which puts the issue of including autistic individuals in religious settings into a broader framework:

……the inequality of educational opportunities for persons with autism is not simply a matter of public policy, but social justice. This disparity closely mirrors inequalities of economic status, which in turn are often grounded in legacies of racial inequality and de facto residential segregation that relegates persons who are cognitively disabled and poor to substandard educational programs. Everyone in the autism community knows just how unequally distributed are these vital and indispensable educational services, from early intervention to classroom teaching to vocational training. These inequalities are further evident from delayed diagnoses to inadequate services that can lead to physical harm done to autistic persons or members of their families. The fundamental inequality of autism services—and the demeaning competitive scramble into which most families are driven—call for action grounded in moral and religious convictions on the dignity of all human persons.

The guide can be ordered via the Boggs Center (the first copy is free for residents of New Jersey); theDaniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation provided support for the project.