A program to improve Catholic religious education and family life for individuals with autism

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A program to improve Catholic religious education
and family life for individuals with autism
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• Deacon Lawrence R. Sutton, Ph.D.
• Former Board President
• National Apostolate for Inclusion Ministry and
• Member of the
• Council on Intellectual and Developmental
  Disabilities (NCPD)

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Two Stories

• Michael
• Limited/no language skills until age 9
• Could not express himself
• Greg
• IQ changed over time
• Improved information processing

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There are a lot of Michaels and Gregs.
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Headline News

• Fear, ignorance played a role in autistic boys
  death (March 2004)
• Sacramental preparation classes to begin for
  children with autism (March 2006)
• People with special needs are welcome (June 2008)
• Returning to the Church Catholic programs for
  disabled children help reach parents (2010)

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The Need for an Adaptive Program

• In April 2003, two second-grade children with
  autism were turned away before celebrating their
  first Eucharist.

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The Need for an Adaptive Program

• Limited religious education
• Preparation for Confirmation
• Inclusion in the adult Catholic community

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Who Does Autism Impact?

• Children with autism
• Families
• Catechists
• Parish community
• Clergy
• School principal
• DREs and other who teach/work with IDD children

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Functional Definitions of Autism
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What is Autism?

• Developmental disorder
• Global term
• Noted impairment in four domains
• Developmental onset
• Language
• Social
• Behavioral/Sensory

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What Is Autism?Developmental Impairments

• Delayed use of language
• Difficulty understanding what is said
• Difficulty expressing thoughts with words
• Latency in response

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What Is Autism?Language Impairments

• Difficulty understanding tone
• Do not understand facialexpressions
• Do not process people, justattributes

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What Is Autism?Social Impairments

• Individual play and leisure time
• Lack of social sense
• Difficulty with empathy and other emotions
• Demonstrate very concrete understanding

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What Is Autism?Behavioral/Sensory Impairments

• Tantrums
• Repetitive behaviors
• Fears/Phobias
• Stims
• Picky eaters
• Sensitivity to touch and sounds

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Is Autism Real?

• CDC estimates that about 1 in 50 children has
  been identified with an autism spectrum disorder
  (ASD).
• Doctors look at the childs behavior and
  development to make a diagnosis. 
• ASDs can sometimes be detected at 18 months or
  younger. 
• By age 2, a diagnosis by an experienced
  professional can be considered very reliable.

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So what is it I really know about autism?

• Who do you know who is autistic
• What can an autistic people do
• How can I be pastoral to a child who is
  autistic or to their family, my degrees are in
  philosophy and theology
• What does stimming really mean?

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The Goal

• We must open the door for autistic children to
  enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

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The Curriculum

• Interactive
• One-on-one instruction
• Support materials

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The CurriculumWho Is Involved?
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The CurriculumStructure

• Preschool/early Pre-Eucharist years Years 1 and
  2
• Preparation for Sacraments of Initiation and
  Reconciliation
• The Saints, the Mass, and Rituals
• Confirmation
• Post-Confirmation

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The CurriculumPre-Eucharist

• Based on the Book of Genesis
• A two-year weekly series of lessons

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The CurriculumPreparation for the Sacraments

• Weekly lessons
• Exercises to reinforce weekly theme
• Practice in rituals

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The CurriculumPreparation for Sacraments

• Reconciliation
• For those with language skills
• Review the ways people hurt God
• Have the child say modified Act of Contrition
• For those without language skills
• Use manipulatives to show good and bad behavior
• Repeat modified Act of Contrition with child

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The CurriculumPreparation for Sacraments

• Modified Act of Contrition
• Oh my God, I am sorry for my sins. (In choosing
  to sin and in failing to do good, I have sinned
  against you and your church. I firmly intend,
  with the help of your grace, to make up for my
  sins and to love as I should.) Amen. (Beth Mayer)

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The CurriculumPreparation for Sacraments

• I pray with my family.
• I ask God for forgiveness for the sins I
  committed with the help of the priest.
• The priest offers Gods forgiveness.
• I pray my penance.

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The CurriculumPreparation for Sacraments

• Practice aspects of rites
• Use visual examples in the childs home church
  with a family member
• Allow the child to see, touch and to be a part of
  Church practices

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The CurriculumMass and Rituals

• The Mass
• The Stations of the Cross
• RitualsA guide to theSacraments

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The CurriculumWho Is Involved?

• Teen Faith Mentors
• Directors of religious education (DREs)
• Clergy (Pastor)
• Parents

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The CurriculumWho Is InvolvedCommunication is
Key

• Key players need to understand how to communicate
  and how that individual child communicates.

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The CurriculumWho Is InvolvedCommunication is
Key

• Autism is an information processing disorder.
• How does a child with autism communicate?
• Communication is understanding.
• Play to the strengths of the child (what does the
  child do well, can they draw,
• sing, complete crafts...

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The CurriculumWho Is InvolvedTeen Faith Mentors

• Teen Faith Mentors need to . . .
• Know what autism and other developmental
  disorders are
• Understand the difference between developmental
  disorders and psychiatric disorders
• Review, understand, and preparematerials

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The CurriculumWho Is InvolvedDREs

• DREs are responsible for . . .
• Defining the roles of catechists, parents, and
  outside professionals (e.g., psychologists)
• Listening to and engaging the family
• Determining how to best include a child with
  autism in the classroom and the community

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The CurriculumWho Is InvolvedClergy

• Clergy need to know how to . . .
• Be pastoral to the disabled person and his or her
  family
• Find meaningful accommodations
• Reach the disabled from the pulpit
• Communicate during the Sacrament of
  Reconciliation
• Did you know there are autism clergy?

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The CurriculumWho Is InvolvedParents

• Parents will have to . . .
• Know what to expect (and not expect)
• Define what their child needs
• Observe and participate
• Know when (and where) to seekadditional help

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Some of Our Challenges

• Concrete/Literal Thinkers
• Fears and Concerns of DREs
• Allergies
• Emotional Concerns
• Environmental Challenges

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Some of Our ChallengesConcrete/Literal Thinkers

• How does one explain the mysteries of our Church
  to someone who thinks literally?

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Some of Our ChallengesFears and Concerns of DREs

• Miscommunication
• Behaviors
• Qualifications
• Sacraments

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Some of Our ChallengesAllergies

• Some people with autism have allergies to gluten.
• Altar breads must be made with wheat and contain
  gluten.
• The Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
  bake low-gluten altar breads.

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Some of Our ChallengesAllergies

• The Office of the Secretariat for Liturgy
  approved their low-gluten altar breads
• Having reviewed the laboratory reports you sent
  . . . I am pleased to state that these special
  hosts are indeed made according to the
  requirements of the Code of Canon Law (c.924) . .
  . and may be validly used at Mass in the diocese
  of the United States with appropriate
  permission.
• www.altarbreadsbspa.com

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Some of Our ChallengesEmotional Concerns

• People with autism perceive things differently.
• Differences in routines cause stress.
• They have ineffective strategies for dealing with
  stress.

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Some of Our ChallengesEnvironmental Challenges

• Sources of distraction
• Perceptual issues
• Internally disorganized

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Good Surprises

• Students
• Teen Faith Mentors
• Families
• Improved quality of life

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Additional Resources

• Deacon Lawrence R. Sutton, Ph.D.
  lawrence.Sutton_at_stvincent.edu lsutton_at_diopitt.org
  
• National Catholic Partnership on Disability
  (www.ncpd.org)
• National Catholic Office for the Deaf
  (www.ncod.org)
• Special Religious Development, Archdiocese of
  Chicago (www.spred.org)
• Archdiocese of Washington, Ministry for Special
  Needs (www.adw.org)
• University of Dayton -The Virtual Learning
  Community for Faith Formation (VLCFF)
  https//vlc.udayton.edu

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• Inclusion begins in our hearts. It begins with
  affirmation. We should open our hearts to one
  another and recognize the strengths of every
  person. . . When we open our hearts and our
  community to the gifts each person brings, we are
  all strengthened. 
• Joseph Cardinal Bernadin

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The time is now.Please start.