ASD & Religion, Part 3: Planning Ahead

Faith is an important cornerstone of most civilizations. Religion is, for many families, an integral part of their personal and cultural identity, and the foundation of their values and perspectives. The presence of a person with autism in a family can change how they interact with their religious community.

Many places of worship have established disability services, including classrooms, paraprofessionals, special services (the religious kind, not the resources kind), community events, and an established core of families with extensive experience with disabilities who can provide support to each other.

The ASD & Religion blog series is designed to guide faith leaders and places of worship to help make their communities a safe and accessible place for people with autism and the loved ones in their lives. We seek to lower barriers, promote inclusion, and spread awareness.

This one’s coming at the family members.

Set your family up for success by trying some of these ideas for making your time in your religious community as smooth and meaningful as possible.

• Set some time aside to introduce yourself and your family’s needs to your religious leader before attending a service.

• Write a story or use pictures to help your loved one know what to expect in a place of worship.

• Use pictures of the worship site, of people wearing ceremonial vestments, or show them videos of people engaging in worship so that your loved one knows what they might see.

  • Examples: pictures of the inside of a church, the robes worn in a Catholic mass, or the salah occurring in a mosque

• Go to the worship center at a time when there aren’t many people around. You may need to make an appointment to do this.

• Ask ahead of time about the themes of service and review them with your loved one in the days leading up to attending the service

  • Explain parables and metaphors; the burning bush or the guardians of the cardinal watchtowers, for example, may confuse a person who struggles with figurative language

  • Practice the themes during daily routines; a worship series about gratitude, for example, may include practicing gratitude during bedtime, chores, and playtime at home

  • Frequently review regular practices that have a religious foundation (for example, observing the sabbath)

• Practice the steps of service at home and, whenever possible, in the location where they happen

  • Exiting and entering the service area

  • Common phrases

  • Common songs

  • Notable events (the lighting of a fire or candles, communion, ecstatic worship, speaking in tongues, etc)

  • Common dances

  • Common grouping (breaking off by age, by gender, or by religious organization)

• Prepare your loved one for changes in routine; for example, if teen night on Wednesday is cancelled so that the community can attend a funeral

• Regularly review and practice uncommon but important religious events

  • Annual holidays

  • Re-occurring extended routine changes (i.e. Lent or Ramadan)

  • Funerals

  • Births

  • Christenings, baptisms, and other religious rites

As always, get out there and do good.