Autism (and Neurodiversity) In the Church
How I learned more about autism from a parishioner's blog post
In the same way as a pastor I prefer to reframe LGBTQIA topics in the church so the focus is not on “how we can welcome them” and instead focus on “wow our queer siblings in Christ have such tremendous gifts and virtues to share,” I am similarly always discovering how neuro-diversity in God’s creation contributes to the vitality of communities of faith.
Our church is blessed with many leaders and volunteers who are autistic or find themselves somewhere on the spectrum of neuro-diversity. As a result, it’s not so much that we have to find ways to adapt to such diversity, and more that we are robust and adaptive because we are led by the spiritual gifts of neurodiverse members.
Recently Nik Robbins, who volunteers in a myriad of ways at our church (just this morning he was our lector), offered a reflection on his blog, How I Learned I’m (Probably) Autistic From A TV Show. Rather than offer a long-form reflection on autism in the church, I invite you to take time to read his blog. It may be helpful to many readers, especially ones who wonder if they themselves are on the “spectrum.” Nik very caringly and carefully and confessionally walks the reader through some of the misconceptions around autism.
It’s a lovely blog.