10 Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew

The Buddy Ministry

I love how this church has developed a ministry to bless special needs kids and their families.

Online Autism Courses

Are you a teacher? Perhaps you have another role and want to go deeper in your autism training. The Geneva Centre for Autism offers some online courses that you might find interesting. Take a look at their course offerings here.

I Had That Dream Again...

I have a recurring dream. Perhaps other parents of children with autism have this same dream. In my dream, I am interacting with one of our two children with autism. Both children are considered nonverbal. In my dream, our child starts speaking in full sentences. I always have the same reaction. I try not to look surprised as if I might jinx the moment.

Most of the time, my dream features our son. This is hard because he has the potential to do something like this. He has the ability to speak and we have heard him on the odd occasion speak a full sentence when he is motivated. But most of the time he just hums or recites lines from movies.

Last night, it was our daughter. I had never had this type of dream with her. She too is considered nonverbal but she is more severe than our son. She can give a handful of one word requests but has never spoken much more than that. That is why in my dream I was particularly filled with joy.

But then I woke up.

It was only a dream. My children are still nonverbal.

I say this not to complain but to say that some days are harder than others. Those of you with children who can communicate, with autism or without, be thankful for what you have.

Autism is Not Always Cute

I have posted many pictures of our children and people comment on how cute they are. But autism is not always cute. In this video, a mother allows people to glimpse what autism can really be like. I can tell you that our two children have had many episodes similar to what you will see in this video.

5 Characteristics of a Welcoming Church

A Conversation With Jean Vanier

Jean Vanier has been an advocate and friend of those with intellectual disabilities for many decades. He is the founder of L'Arche, a community that values respect for all apart for any disabilities. You can find out more about Jean Vanier at the L'Arche site.

Recently there was a roundtable discussion with Jean Vanier and a number of theology and philosophy students. It was recorded and presented by the Unbelievable podcast (normally focused on apologetics), with Justin Brierly as the moderator.

It was a good discussion that is worth listening to. You can find it here.

Autism Kindle Deals

Reaching out to families dealing with autism requires, among other things, knowledge. One of the easy and affordable ways to learn are through Kindle books.

Here are some Kindle deals that deal with autism. Warning: I have not read these books and so I cannot guarantee their quality. But at these prices, it is worth taking a chance.

Autism: 44 Ways by Margaret LaRue
Autism: Ultimate Parenting Handbook by Suzanne Jensen
Autism: 20 Things You Must Know by Lauren Charleston
I Think I May be Autistic by Louise R. Allen
Asperger's by Hannah Warner

If you don't own a Kindle, download this free Kindle app.

Autism and Church

I love this little video about a family with a child with autism and their adventure of going to church. People without autism in their life have no idea how easy they have it.

Church Toolkit

One of the great Christian organizations working with people with special needs is Christian Horizons. They are involved in many things but are often thought of as primarily an operator of group homes.

One of the areas that people do not know about when it comes to Christian Horizons is their dedication for supporting churches and leaders. They have put together this Church Toolkit to help churches to minister to those with special needs. It really is worth checking out.

Certificate in Special Education

Biola University is often associated with apologetics. I am actually enrolled in their Certificate in Apologetics program.

But Biola does much more than apologetics. Biola offers an online Certificate in Special Education, which includes training in autism. If I was a teacher, I would strongly be considering this. You can find out more about their program here. It is worth checking out.

Carly's Cafe

This video gives you a sense of the experience of a nonverbal teenager with autism.