Can an Autistic Child Be a Part of the Catholic Church?

A reader wonders how her autistic child could possibly make communion or be confirmed in the Catholic faith. This is an excellent question, and the answer is not always simple.

According to the Church, a child must be able to show that he or she understands the concepts behind communion, confirmation and confession before he or she can take part in the sacraments. Assuming that your autistic child can grasp the concepts and communicate his or her understanding, though, it should be possible for him or her to take part in all the sacraments. It will, however, take some extra work on everyone's part.

The good news is that there are quite a few resources available to you and your parish to help your child prepare for communion and confirmation. What's more, the usual approaches to supporting a child with autism -- careful preparation and rehearsal, visual supports, attention to sensory issues, and plenty of patience -- are easy to apply to a ritual that's predictable and consistent. You can practice at home, in the empty sanctuary, with a "congregation" of volunteer friends and family, and with "wafers." You can even help your child become accustomed to the smell of incense.

The bad news is that the visual and educational resources that have been created to support you, your child and your child are not well-disseminated. That means it may be up to you, the parent, to find and share them.

Overall, the suggestion is that you start by talking with the religious education director or youth pastor at your local parish. But if your local parish is not receptive to your child, or feels he/she has no resources to support your needs, it makes sense to proceed to the diocesan level.

Call and ask for the person in charge of special needs ministry. That individual should be able to provide you not only with written and possibly video or visual resources, but also with suggestions for parishes and services that will accommodate your child and your family.

Outside of contacting the diocese, there are quite a few resources on the web. A few options include:

• Pastoral Ministry for Persons with Disabilities
• Simply Catholic Blog
• Family Village (a page filled with links for all denominations)

_Resources:

Interview with Anne Masters, M. A., Director of Pastoral Ministry with Persons with Disabilities, Archdiocese of Newark, July 2009.

Kathy Labosh. The Child with Autism Learns The Faith: Bible Lessons From the Garden of Eden to the Parting of the Red Sea. Labosh Publishing: East Petersburg, PA, 2007.