It seems like every cause, every pet project, every advocacy
group is given is day is the sun. In
many cases it is more like its week, or even its month in the sun. The list is endless.
·
National Stress Awareness Day
·
Great American Smoke-Out Day
·
National Sleep Apnea Awareness Day
·
Penguin Awareness Day
·
Red Ribbon Week
·
Poison Prevention Week
·
National Preparedness Month
And the list just keeps on going. There are hundreds of such issues that are
observed and/or promoted by one group or another. Some are more widely recognized. Others have only a small following. Most are significant regardless of their
popularity.
April happens to be Autism Awareness Month, among other
things. Considering the severity of
Autism and its prevalence this is one of the more reasonable observances, in my
opinion. But then, as a parent of a
child with Autism and an advocate for disabilities of all kinds, I am probably
a bit biased.
Autism is reaching near epidemic proportions around the
world. The Center for Disease Control
issues a report in late March 2012 that indicates 1 in 88 children in the
United States are on the Autism Spectrum.
That is a staggering statistic.
It is even more disheartening among boys where the ratio is 1 in 54. To give you some idea how this has been
increasing, when my son received his diagnosis in 2000 we were told that the
number of children who had autism was 1 in 2,000. That was just twelve years ago. The reason for this vast increase is varied
and not always clear. Many variables
factor into the equation. Still, there
are a few things that remain undeniable.
First it is important to understand that Autism is a very
broad term that includes numerous specific diagnoses, each with their own
quirks. Currently there are five major
diagnoses that fall under the Autism umbrella.
They are:
1.
Classical Autism Disorder - very severe and low
functioning
2.
Rett's Disorder - also very severe but very
rare, too. This one is almost exclusively
found in females.
3.
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder - rare and
difficult to diagnose early in life. It
is characterized by rather normal development through ages 5 - 10. At some point in this time frame, however,
the child begins to lose nearly all the skills and abilities that they had
previously learned.
4.
Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise
Specified - the most common of the five categories and generally falling in the
middle of the severity scale. PDD-NOS
often includes multiple diagnoses such as ADD, Obsessive Compulsive, Sensory
Integration, Bi-polar or Mental Retardation.
5.
Asperger's Syndrome - the highest functioning of
the Autism Spectrum Disorders and also may be accompanied by multiple
diagnoses.
Though the Spectrum is wide and varied there are certain
deficits that tend to be common among those who fall into one of these five
diagnoses.
A.
Communication deficit
B.
Social Skills deficit
C.
Behavioral deficits
Much
more could be said of these but I will refrain at this time. What I wish to convey is that any family
living with autism is under tremendous stress.
A person with Autism may look
like any of his peers upon a casual encounter.
But it will not take long to realize that this person has some unusual
behaviors or characteristics. It may be
the way they repeat certain phrases or questions. It may be the tone of their voice, which
tends to be louder than normal or unusually quiet. Perhaps one will notice some repetitive
motion: the flapping of the hands; spinning around in a circle; rocking back
and forth; tugging on their lip or ear; picking at the fingernails; etc.
If
you try to speak to a person with Autism you may notice that they tend to avoid
eye contact. They may repeat what you
say. They may even appear to be unable
to talk. There are a host of social
behaviors and skills that are problematic for these individuals. When a child is quite young it may not seem
particularly noticeable. As the child
grows and continues their behaviors it will not only become noticeable but
often is annoying or frustrating for others to deal with.
Parents
quickly become caught between attempting to care for their child and protecting
them from environmental concerns that could trigger negative reactions while
fully aware of the stares and comments behind their back from onlookers who
simply do not understand. To make
matters worse, Autism is not a disease that comes and goes. It is not like an annoying cough or hiccup
that eventually goes away. Living with
Autism is 24/7. It never ends. Never.
Not in the course of a day nor a week nor a year. It is not a childhood phenomenon that one
will outgrow some day. Rather, it is a
lifelong challenge. For many parents
there is no relief.
This
is why I am convinced that the Christian Community, the Church, needs to
address the issue of Autism along with disabilities in general. Jesus came into this world to teach and to
heal individuals. He was keenly aware of
what was troubling a person and sought to provide help. "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest." (Matthew
11:28 NIV), said our Lord. The
Church bears responsibility to carry on this ministry today. Unfortunately too many Churches remain in the
Dark Ages when it comes to disabilities, and especially socially challenged
disorders such as Autism.
I
know from first hand experience how cruel and uninviting a congregation can
be. My family suffered an unbelievable amount
of abuse and misunderstanding at the hands of good and faithful church members
over the years. What always struck me
was the fact that I was the Pastor of the congregation. If this was how they treated the Pastor's family
I would cringe at the thought of how another family in the congregation must
feel if they had a special needs child with them. The sad reality is most Churches are
ill-equipped to deal with anyone who does not fit into their comfortable,
compliant, predicable and quiet environment. They see only the behavior. They cannot see the person, the child of God.
This
is why I am so thankful to God for leading us to a congregation that truly
cares. For the past year and a half my
family has been involved with the Akron Church of the Brethren in Akron, PA. Here we have found a spiritual family that
accepts us and welcomes us into their midst.
Not only do they accept our son who has Autism, along with a multitude
of other challenges, but they are intent on extending the invitation of Jesus
as quoted above from Matthew 11 to all persons with disabilities. This congregation has formed a ministry team
known as the C.A.R.InG. Ministry. The acronym stands for Celebrating
Abilities; Rejoicing In God. The
CARInG Ministry is charged with addressing the needs of persons with intellectual,
developmental or physical disabilities by meeting their spiritual needs,
providing love and acceptance to them and their families, offering resources to
help them, and educating the congregation in ways that will enhance the
attitude and the acceptance of all persons.
Today,
April 22, the CARInG Ministry Team sponsored an Autism Awareness Day at
Church. It included a special Sunday
School session entitled Autism
Spectrum Disorders: Integration In The Faith Community. The program was developed and presented by Tim
Caldwell of Philhaven Hospital. He led
us in a one hour study of the nature of Autism and creative, positive ways for
a congregation to respond. I would
highly recommend this program for any Church that seeks to be faithful to
Jesus.
Then,
during our worship service, a young man with Asperger's Syndrome gave his
personal testimony regarding some of his challenges and the role that his faith
plays in his daily life. After this Mr.
Caldwell gave a word of encouragement as he shared further with us. The service also included a stirring message
from Pastor Tom Weber entitled "...Love
For One Another" based on John 15:9-17. This message highlighted the command of Jesus
to extend love to all persons.
Would
that more Churches embrace the vision that this congregation has! How many Churches offer a true Disabilities
Ministry? How many Churches
intentionally address the challenges and needs of people who are affected by
disabilities? How many Christians can
look beyond one's behavior to see the child of God within?
gdgehr
April 22, 2012
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