Autism Awareness Month: April

According to the Mayo Clinic, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person socializes with and perceives others, causing problems in social interaction and communication. The disorder also includes limited and repetitive patterns of behavior. The term spectrum in autism spectrum disorder refers to the wide range of symptoms and severity.

How Does Autism Impact Participation at Church? Because autism is an invisible disorder, typical autistic behaviors are often misinterpreted. For example, someone with autism may find it difficult to make eye contact during a conversation. This might be interpreted as unfriendliness, which makes forming relationships difficult. Add to this symptom difficulty processing the many sights and sounds of a church service, and it’s not hard to see how church can quickly become a hostile environment for someone with autism.

Understanding Autism

Here is a helpful pdf to check out!