By MARY KAYE FALCONY
A PLACE FOR ALL
Prayer in Observance of Autism Awareness Month
Loving God,
Bless today in special ways
all the children, adults and families
who see the world through the window of autism.
May Your Spirit burn bright in them
and all who celebrate and honor
the richness of our diversity
during this Autism Awareness month of April.
Grant us, O Lord,
the wisdom
to see your image reflected
in all of our differences,
and to recognize the unique gifts
we each have to offer.
May the doors of ministry in our Church
Continue to open wide in welcome to all of God's family.
We ask this in Jesus' holy name. Amen.
In 1970, April was declared National Autism awareness month for the first time by the Autism Society. This observance was established in the hope of bringing much-needed education and awareness to the public.
Since then, much has been learned about Autism. Often, it is now referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder. ASD is known to have a set of common characteristics, yet no two people have exactly the same characteristics. It is often said that “if you know one person with autism, you know one person with autism.”
Even though there have been great efforts made to share information about ASD, there are still many who have a limited knowledge or understanding about this development disability. So it is truly a gift to all our communities that, every year, there is an opportunity to share information that allows for a greater depth of understanding.
As I prepared to write this column, I came across two articles that offered a different perspective than we may normally find on this topic. The approach taken was much more personal in nature. The two articles were written by moms who have children with autism. The things they so graciously shared for our consideration truly benefit our parish communities as we strive to be places of belonging and support. Both articles may be found at ncpd.org/resources and toolkits.
The first article is written by Ellen Notbohn: “Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew” (an excerpt from her book by the same name). It enables us to step into the world of a child who has autism and come to know life as they experience it; in doing this, we expand our ability to be in the relationship because we now have the insights to make connections that are needed. The second articleis written by Kym Wright: “Blessings of Autism.” She speaks to the reality of the challenges for individuals with autism and their families, but also reminds us that there is more to the story – the blessings.
After reading both articles and considering all that was shared, I could not help but see the beauty that exists when people strive to understand and appreciate one another. It is in the sharing and acceptance that each of us, little by little, help create the world that God has in mind. It’s a place where we value one another and see each other as he does – unique and loved.
If you would like to learn more about ASD please visit https://www.evdio.org/ministry-with-persons-with-disabilities.html.