Asperger's Syndrome is one of the more common forms of Autism. It is also considered the highest functioning form of Autism. There is a good chance someone in your congregation is an "Aspie" (insider's language for one who has Asperger's Syndrome).
So the question that congregations need to addressed is how do we as a faith community embrace the Aspie and enable them to embrace us? It is an important question, but not an easy one to answer. Part of the problem is the fact the most of us haven't a clue what Asperger's Sydrome is and how it effects social relationships and intellectual understandings. This, in itself, is a huge first step: Awareness and understanding of the problem. The second is perhaps just as daunting. Because Asperger's is such a high functioning form of autism - many Aspies have IQ's that put them in the range of "Genius" - they often go unnoticed as having a disorder. Frequently the Aspie is mistakenly identified as "aloof", a"nti-social", or simply "quirky"!
Erin Thomas offers a great insight into this vital discussion, coming from the perspective of an Aspie. I strongly encourage you to take the brief time needed to read her blog post, which can be accessed by following the link below.
Grace And Peace To You,
G. D. Gehr
Church Stories: Embracing Faith as an Aspie (by Erin Thomas)
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