Creating room for disabled

The Apostle Thomas would be a great example for catechists trying to provide religious education to children on the autistic spectrum.

"Thomas was the original autistic," explained Steve Szalowski, a former catechist at St. Mary's parish in Crescent and a social worker with the Center for Disability Services in Albany.

Mr. Szalowski thinks that St. Thomas' need to touch the wounds of Christ and see Him in person before believing He'd risen from the dead is very like the learning style of persons with autism or Asperger's Syndrome, sometimes called its milder form (see sidebar).

Inclusiveness

As disabilities are diagnosed in children earlier and earlier, more children identified as having Asperger's or autism are turning up in parish faith formation programs.

Mr. Szalowski and David Amico, director of catechesis for persons with disabilities for the diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis (OEC), spoke with The Evangelist about the struggle to make religious ed inclusive for these children.

First off, Mr. Szalowski said, the Church must admit that it hasn't always been as welcoming as it should be to persons with disabilities. He spoke of visiting a Mormon church where members with special needs seemed to be cared for by the entire congregation and contrasted that with Catholic parishes where "tolerance of difference is not always acknowledged."

Frustrations

While the Church is working to become more inclusive, Mr. Szalowski noted that disorders on the autism spectrum are often "invisible disabilities."

One of the biggest frustrations for parents of children with autism or Asperger's Syndrome, he said, is that the children may not appear to be disabled. Thus, when they act out, their families may be criticized as if it's a problem with discipline or parenting, not a disability.

Mr. Amico has also encountered families who enroll their children in religious education classes without mentioning there is a disability, thinking, "I just want my child to be in one setting where they're not labeled;" or, "It's only an hour a week, so they'll be able to handle it."

"We encourage all parishes to have a line on the registration form that asks about special needs -- and then follow up," Mr. Amico stated.

Teaching styles

Identifying special needs is only the beginning. Because autism and Asperger's Syndrome affect children differently, there's no one teaching style that suits every child on that spectrum.

Both Mr. Szalowski and Mr. Amico recommended talking with the family to find out what works for the child in other environments. The OEC can then provide help in adapting faith formation programs to children's needs.

Catechists, Mr. Amico pointed out, are usually volunteers, and don't necessarily have extensive training in dealing with children with special needs.

However, he noted, all new catechetical and young ministry leaders in the Albany Diocese now complete "Becoming a Minister of Faith Formation," a training program that includes general information on religious ed for students with disabilities. The annual Spring Enrichment and programs within deaneries provide more specific information.

Individual consultations do the rest.

Solutions

Mr. Szalowski said that children on the autistic spectrum may get uncomfortable in group situations, so catechists may learn to space seats further apart, work with smaller groups (or one-on-one for some children), or allow what an untrained teacher might call "fidgeting" -- movements that help the children to soothe themselves.

Children with autism or Asperger's may also be able to stay calmer in religious ed classrooms by holding Play-Doh, clay or something else to keep their hands busy. ("We all do that during long meetings!" Mr. Szalowski remarked.)

Another thing to remember is that many children on the autistic spectrum are "visual learners." If catechists plan on reading with their classes, Mr. Amico said, "there has to be a visual element in there as well."

What works

Members of "God's Love Embraces Autism" (GLEA), a program of the Pittsburgh Diocese, have found success by using flashcards in faith formation classes that include children on the autism spectrum.

Pictures of prayer, snacks and books posted on the wall, which are changed as the lessons continue, help students transition from one activity to the next.

Autism and Asperger's Syndrome can also make abstract concepts difficult to understand. Mr. Szalowski said that it's easier to teach such children about the Eucharist, which has a concrete object (Communion) associated with it, than trying to explain something as amorphous as the Holy Spirit.

"Start with the concrete, then go as far as you can with the abstract," he advised.

Mr. Amico tends to catechize on abstracts like the Holy Spirit by saying something like, "God is like a family: Mom, Dad and you are like the Father, Son and Holy Spirit."

Adapting

One characteristic often seen in children on the autistic spectrum is pointed interest in specific subjects: dinosaurs, for example, or things with wheels.

Mr. Szalowski and Mr. Amico have learned that working with these interests to guide children toward learning about other subjects can be helpful in religious ed.

For instance, Mr. Szalowski has enticed children to talk about Jesus by promising to then talk about the cars they loved.

Teaching method

Mr. Amico remembered a five-year-old girl with autism whose mother called the OEC, convinced that her daughter could never receive her First Communion.

After finding out that the little girl loved dolls, blankets, pictures and music, the OEC staff developed a religion curriculum for her based on those elements. Twice a week for brief periods of time, two catechists would visit the child in her home. They showed her pictures of objects from the parish, played music she would hear at church and brought a quilt made by volunteers with pictures of religious symbols on it.

Accompanied by her mother, the child began attending the Children's Liturgy of the Word at her parish. Two years later, Mr. Amico went back to talk with her family about preparing her for First Communion.

"She walked through the door of the church and started singing, 'Jesus, Lamb of God....'" he told The Evangelist. "Never, in my mind, was there a child more ready to receive the Eucharist. She was catechized -- not in the way a 'typical' child might be, but she was catechized."

Welcoming all

That kind of personalization of religious ed requires a lot of effort, but it's important to show families that their children are welcome, said Mr. Szalowski; otherwise, they won't feel it's worth trying to educate them in their faith.

"You don't want to deliver the message that 'your kids are bad or maladaptive,'" he said. "Not every kid who comes into religious education is prepared to get any, but you have to reach out."

Mr. Amico said that parishes need to be honest in telling families they don't have all the resources of school systems in educating children with special needs -- but still inviting them to be part of faith formation.

Catechizing children on the autistic spectrum, he said, "is a tremendous gift and a tremendous challenge. But it's mostly a gift, because I believe that everyone has the right to grow in their relationship with God, however they grow in it -- and everyone who is baptized has a right to the sacraments."

("Welcome and Justice for Persons with Disabilities," a statement by the U.S. bishops, notes: "We are a single flock under the care of a single shepherd. There can be no separate Church for persons with disabilities." Contact the Albany diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis at 453-6630.)

WHAT ARE SYMPTOMS OF AUTISM?

Although children on the autistic spectrum vary widely in the severity of their disabilities, some general signs of autism include communication problems like language delays; difficulty relating to people, objects and events; unusual play with toys and other objects; difficulty with changes in routine; and repetitive body movements or behavior patterns.

Asperger's Syndrome is distinct from autism in that children do not display language or cognitive delays. Also unlike those with autism, children with Asperger's tend to be eager to fit in socially, but awkward in understanding social and conversational rules.

The Autism Society of America notes that, "to the untrained observer, a child with Asperger's Disorder may just seem different." (KB)

(6/14/07)