April 25, 2025 • 18 mins
Explore ten practical strategies for welcoming and including individuals with autism in church settings, drawing inspiration from Jesus' personalized approach to ministry and Barbara Newman's book "Autism in Your Church."
• Creating a "five-star experience" for individuals with autism requires personalized approaches
• Jesus modeled individualized ministry by meeting different people at their specific points of need
• Gathering and sharing information about individual needs is foundational for successful inclusion
• Understanding sensory processing differences helps accommodate both sensory-seeking and sensory-avoiding individuals
• Coming alongside individuals who struggle with communication helps identify potential challenges
• Establishing routines with visual schedules provides comfort and predictability
• Advanced warning systems help prepare people for transitions and changes
• Using concrete language, visuals, and alternative communication methods bridges understanding
• Social stories effectively prepare individuals for new situations or explain expected behaviors
• Teaching through situations rather than just reacting creates positive learning opportunities
For deeper dives into these topics and more, check out indispensable-people.com and visit Amazon to purchase the books "The Indispensable Kid," "Gospel Accessibility," and "Indispensable People."
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hi, my name is Tracy Correll and welcome to
Indispensable People.
I'm a wife, mom, teacher,pastor and missionary, and I
believe that every person shouldhave the opportunity to know
Christ, grow in Him and serveHim with the gifts that he has
given, no matter their ability.
Over 65 million Americans havea disability.
That's 25% of the population.
(00:26):
However, over 80% of them arenot inside the walls of our
church.
Let's dive into those hardtopics biblical foundations,
perceptions and welcome to thisepisode of Indispensable People.
(00:54):
Today, we're talking strategiesthat help individuals with
autism, and now when I say that,I want you to understand that
the statement if you've met oneperson with autism, you've met
one person with autism.
Every person is different.
These are just generalstrategies and they come from a
(01:17):
book called Autism in yourChurch, and the author is
Barbara J Newman, and thisparticular book is actually very
much geared towards autism, butI would say that many of its
strategies are incrediblybeneficial for those with
(01:39):
intellectual disabilities andbeyond.
So please understand that a lotof these strategies can be used
in a multitude of ways.
But here is one thing that Iabsolutely loved when it started
this chapter about strategiesfor including individuals with
autism spectrum disorder and itsays if, given a choice, I
(02:03):
prefer to stay in a five-starhotel, although slightly more
expensive.
Slightly I think that's baloney.
I know a hotel with a five-starrating will provide awesome
accommodations.
Staff will make sure that Ihave a good stay and they won't
just leave the light on, theywill put chocolates on my pillow
, call me by name and have ashowerhead that makes me want to
(02:25):
stay another night.
They will not assume that eachguest likes the same things and
my particular needs and wantsmatter at a five-star hotel.
So they take this and thenequate to the fact that Jesus
knew all about providingfive-star experiences.
(02:46):
While teaching crowds of peoplemight seem more efficient, jesus
also took the time to meetpeople at their individual
points of need, and they listeda bunch of examples.
For example, my friendZacchaeus, who needed some
one-on-one time with Jesus, sohe invited himself to dinner.
Children needed to know theybelonged, and so Jesus took him
(03:08):
in the arms and blessed them.
The disciples needed clearunderstanding, so Jesus told a
story about a farmer andcompared the seed to the word of
God.
The sellers in the templeneeded correction, so Jesus
chased them out and set themstraight.
Temple needed correction, soJesus chased them out and set
them straight.
The woman caught in adulteryneeded forgiveness, so Jesus
(03:29):
dared any of her accusers whowere without sin to throw a
stone at her.
The crowd of 5,000 needed food,so Jesus took a little boy's
lunch and fed them.
Thomas needed to see and touchto believe that Jesus was alive,
so his Savior held out hisnail-scarred hands.
(03:49):
Jesus knew how to create afive-star experience, and the
diversity that you find in this,in those examples, are like.
They're not like each other,right, so no method that Jesus
used to reach them was all thesame, which is what I began this
(04:11):
podcast saying.
Every person is different, allthe needs are different, but we
can have some basic strategiesthat will help us give that
five-star experience in ourchurches, and it comes down with
being individualized.
And how do we start?
Strategy number one isgathering information on that
(04:33):
person, and you can do that atcheck-in with kids or teens.
You can have questionnaireswhere you interact with them or
their parents or theircaregivers.
You can observe them in theirclasses and see what might be
(04:53):
helpful, as you see them do.
But gathering that information,getting to know them, is
specific to knowing theirindividual needs.
Next, we wanna consider thesecond strategy as sharing that
information right.
If I'm the leader of thedisability ministry or the
(05:14):
children's ministry or the youthministry whatever, or adults
and I keep all of thatinformation that I know to
myself, it is not helping anyoneelse in that ministry to
interact, to understand, to meetthe needs of that person.
So I can do that by maybehaving a conversation, maybe it
(05:39):
is an information sheet or aregistration form that I'm going
to share with them.
We're going to ask them toparticipate and observe as well
to gain their own.
But first we want to gather theinformation, then we want to
share for those who will beinteracting and leading in the
(06:01):
spaces those individuals willparticipate in.
And the third strategy we wantto consider is we want to take
an understanding of sensoryinput and how it impacts each
person.
This book so well explainssensory input and it says our
(06:21):
bodies are bombarded withsensory input all the time.
In general, our receptors forsensory input are set at a
middle C on a piano or akeyboard.
Being in the middle is a greatplace to be because it allows us
to block out unimportant sounds, sights, tastes, smells, muscle
feedback, gravity feedback andtouch.
(06:43):
Being at a middle C letsunimportant things pass by us,
so we are free to concentrate onwhat needs our attention.
On the other hand, it alsoallows us to tune in to sensory
input when it's needed.
But some individuals' sensoryresponse system is set way above
(07:06):
middle C and some are set below.
So some individuals will needsensory input and some will need
to be protected.
So here are some ways to dothat.
We can have a rest area or aplace to take a break from some
of that input that's coming at.
(07:27):
We can not focus on eye contact.
We can use noise-cancelingheadphones or earplugs.
We can add rocking chairs ortrampolines.
So if you notice there someonewho is going to have a rest from
(07:47):
sensory input or use noisecanceling headphones, those are
individuals that receive sensoryat higher input and can be
overwhelmed.
Those who might need to go fora walk or jump on a trampoline
or have a rocking chair they aregoing to need more sensory
(08:08):
input are going to need moresensory input.
So I want you to thinkindividually and know that we
are going to have all kinds ofdifferent people who are going
to have different experiencesand we need to consider that as
we provide options forregulating that sensory input.
(08:33):
Strategy number four we're goingto think alongside the person
that may need some assistance.
Okay, so we might need to comealongside them if they're unable
to express their concerns.
We might need to read some bodylanguage and take into
(08:56):
consideration questions likewhat just happened?
What happened after?
What might the person have seen?
What have they heard?
What have they touched?
Did they smell or tastesomething?
Who is a part of the setting?
What's going on before?
Is this a one-time thing or isthis something that has
(09:18):
reoccurred before?
So we're kind of processing andthinking through what could be
causing the issues.
What might be a trouble to thatperson in the moment if they
can't express it?
How can we even further createthe five-star experience with
(09:38):
this?
And this is something that Irefer to in our ministry as a
buddy system system and avolunteer who helps the
individual navigate the servicesand the systems that are going
on or the event that they are apart of, and they can help
navigate the sensory input.
(09:59):
They can navigate thecommunication needs.
They can navigate providingnecessities to help that person
be successful in thatenvironment.
Another strategy is makingroutines and providing that to
be comfortable, and you can dothat by creating visual
(10:22):
schedules you can print.
Most churches have, like anorder of service they could
share that you could beintentional about your
transition techniques and thiscould be specific, especially
for kids or teens, when you givelet them know what's coming or
(10:45):
how much time they have left tomove on to the next thing.
And which actually takes usinto strategy number six, which
is providing using advancedwarning systems which is saying
hey, five minutes till cleanup,or this is what's going to
happen next, this is what'sgoing to happen next.
You want to provide for theunexpected as much as possible.
(11:08):
You want to use concretelanguage, use those visual
schedules, give that verbalcountdown and maybe you have a
special signal for change, toprepare as things move along,
all of those kinds of things,those advanced warning systems,
(11:29):
right, like we're used tohearing, you know weather type
things, you know whether we havea severe thunderstorm warning
or a tornado warning orsomething like that.
It gives you steps to preparefor the next thing that's coming
and that's what you want to dothrough that and that's what you
want to do through that.
Strategy number seven closingthe communication gap.
(11:49):
So we want to plan ahead forthose.
We might want to take some timeto kind of translate on the
spot, if we can't necessarilyanticipate what words or phrases
(12:10):
are coming or going to be used.
This gives us the chance tohave a conversation right in the
moment.
You might want to providewritten materials such as, you
know, bulletins or scriptures,that kind of stuff, and we want
to use visuals and interact withcommunication devices, maybe
(12:34):
learning ASL or using thosestrategies in signing, if that
is someone's preferred language,and preparation ahead of time.
We do something at our summergetaway and our respite nights
where we give the individuals anopportunity to experience what
(12:56):
might be coming, so they mighthear about the, maybe the, the
person that is in scripture,that the, that the sermon will
mostly be about.
They might experience somethinghands-on that goes with what
we're teaching through that, allof those kinds of things to
kind of prepare and open the wayfor communication.
(13:19):
And communication is not justone person delivering
information, it's also on thereceiving end.
So you wanna take into contextboth of those things.
Moving on to strategy numbereight visuals, visuals, visuals,
visuals, using visuals toenforce what we're saying and
what we're doing.
Again we'll go back to theschedules that we've already
(13:42):
talked about providing a visualschedule.
We've talked about usingconcrete language and taking it
a step further with thatfive-star experience and putting
visuals to prayer time to.
You don't want people just tosay it, you want to do it so you
can show what something wouldlook like.
(14:06):
Through that you can usevisuals for time management.
All of those kinds of thingsare going to be highly
beneficial.
Moving on to strategy numbernine, we want to consider you
might have heard the term socialstories.
Writing a story out to show howa character went through
(14:28):
something will benefit people innew situations.
It will help them to understandwhat's coming, help them to see
what they may or may notexperience.
It's helpful to describingexpected behavior or what
changes might be coming.
It's great for describingspecific events or even
(14:52):
correcting specific behavior.
So social stories it's creatinga story about an event you want
them to know that's coming, abehavior you would like for them
to show or to correct.
So all of that kind of thingcan be done in.
A social story is incrediblybeneficial because it brings
(15:16):
what you're saying to a concretelevel.
It's creating those visuals.
It's giving the full picture ofwhat you are hoping to
communicate.
Strategy number 10, I absolutelylove teaching instead of
reacting.
We have the innate ability torespond with reactions that
(15:44):
could make or break a situation.
I'm gonna give you a very sillyexample my mother-in-law.
She worries about the childrenespecially when my kids were
little getting hurt, and in anylittle situation you would hear
her go oh, and it could benothing, could be absolutely
(16:06):
nothing, but when the kids wouldhear her do that, they would
assume something is wrong, andso then their reactions would
follow hers.
And so this is a really greatreminder of watching our
reactions, keeping those undercontrol and then teaching
through the situation so thatthey understand and know what's
going on, as to why or why notthey need to be doing or not
(16:32):
doing what you would haveactually reacted to.
So be aware of those reactionsand make sure that you're
teaching through them and notjust reacting, which is kind of
creating the narrative of what'sgoing to happen.
Why do we do all of this?
Because we want to create afive-star experience, just like
(16:54):
Jesus did.
He was very intentional aboutbeing individual and purposeful
for the interactions that he had, so that other people could
come to know a loving Savior whocould make a choice that would
change their life for eternityTo follow Jesus and to glorify
Him in all that they do and allthat they say In their
(17:17):
experiences, because Jesus isour model.
He showed us best, so let'screate those five-star
experiences in our churches.
Do I know everything aboutdisability ministry?
Do I have all the answers?
Have I done everythingperfectly?
I've absolutely not, but we aregoing to continue this
(17:41):
conversation so that people ofall abilities can have the
opportunity to know Christ, growin Him and serve Him with the
gifts that he has given them.
For deeper dives into thesetopics and more, check out
indispensablepeoplecom and visitAmazon to purchase the books
(18:01):
the Indispensable Kid and GospelAccessibility and the
Indispensable People.
Hi, my name is Tracy Correll and welcome to
Indispensable People.
I'm a wife, mom, teacher,pastor and missionary, and I
believe that every person shouldhave the opportunity to know
Christ, grow in Him and serveHim with the gifts that he has
given, no matter their ability.
Over 65 million Americans havea disability.
That's 25% of the population.
(00:26):
However, over 80% of them arenot inside the walls of our
church.
Let's dive into those hardtopics biblical foundations,
perceptions and welcome to thisepisode of Indispensable People.
(00:54):
Today, we're talking strategiesthat help individuals with
autism, and now when I say that,I want you to understand that
the statement if you've met oneperson with autism, you've met
one person with autism.
Every person is different.
These are just generalstrategies and they come from a
(01:17):
book called Autism in yourChurch, and the author is
Barbara J Newman, and thisparticular book is actually very
much geared towards autism, butI would say that many of its
strategies are incrediblybeneficial for those with
(01:39):
intellectual disabilities andbeyond.
So please understand that a lotof these strategies can be used
in a multitude of ways.
But here is one thing that Iabsolutely loved when it started
this chapter about strategiesfor including individuals with
autism spectrum disorder and itsays if, given a choice, I
(02:03):
prefer to stay in a five-starhotel, although slightly more
expensive.
Slightly I think that's baloney.
I know a hotel with a five-starrating will provide awesome
accommodations.
Staff will make sure that Ihave a good stay and they won't
just leave the light on, theywill put chocolates on my pillow
, call me by name and have ashowerhead that makes me want to
(02:25):
stay another night.
They will not assume that eachguest likes the same things and
my particular needs and wantsmatter at a five-star hotel.
So they take this and thenequate to the fact that Jesus
knew all about providingfive-star experiences.
(02:46):
While teaching crowds of peoplemight seem more efficient, jesus
also took the time to meetpeople at their individual
points of need, and they listeda bunch of examples.
For example, my friendZacchaeus, who needed some
one-on-one time with Jesus, sohe invited himself to dinner.
Children needed to know theybelonged, and so Jesus took him
(03:08):
in the arms and blessed them.
The disciples needed clearunderstanding, so Jesus told a
story about a farmer andcompared the seed to the word of
God.
The sellers in the templeneeded correction, so Jesus
chased them out and set themstraight.
Temple needed correction, soJesus chased them out and set
them straight.
The woman caught in adulteryneeded forgiveness, so Jesus
(03:29):
dared any of her accusers whowere without sin to throw a
stone at her.
The crowd of 5,000 needed food,so Jesus took a little boy's
lunch and fed them.
Thomas needed to see and touchto believe that Jesus was alive,
so his Savior held out hisnail-scarred hands.
(03:49):
Jesus knew how to create afive-star experience, and the
diversity that you find in this,in those examples, are like.
They're not like each other,right, so no method that Jesus
used to reach them was all thesame, which is what I began this
(04:11):
podcast saying.
Every person is different, allthe needs are different, but we
can have some basic strategiesthat will help us give that
five-star experience in ourchurches, and it comes down with
being individualized.
And how do we start?
Strategy number one isgathering information on that
(04:33):
person, and you can do that atcheck-in with kids or teens.
You can have questionnaireswhere you interact with them or
their parents or theircaregivers.
You can observe them in theirclasses and see what might be
(04:53):
helpful, as you see them do.
But gathering that information,getting to know them, is
specific to knowing theirindividual needs.
Next, we wanna consider thesecond strategy as sharing that
information right.
If I'm the leader of thedisability ministry or the
(05:14):
children's ministry or the youthministry whatever, or adults
and I keep all of thatinformation that I know to
myself, it is not helping anyoneelse in that ministry to
interact, to understand, to meetthe needs of that person.
So I can do that by maybehaving a conversation, maybe it
(05:39):
is an information sheet or aregistration form that I'm going
to share with them.
We're going to ask them toparticipate and observe as well
to gain their own.
But first we want to gather theinformation, then we want to
share for those who will beinteracting and leading in the
(06:01):
spaces those individuals willparticipate in.
And the third strategy we wantto consider is we want to take
an understanding of sensoryinput and how it impacts each
person.
This book so well explainssensory input and it says our
(06:21):
bodies are bombarded withsensory input all the time.
In general, our receptors forsensory input are set at a
middle C on a piano or akeyboard.
Being in the middle is a greatplace to be because it allows us
to block out unimportant sounds, sights, tastes, smells, muscle
feedback, gravity feedback andtouch.
(06:43):
Being at a middle C letsunimportant things pass by us,
so we are free to concentrate onwhat needs our attention.
On the other hand, it alsoallows us to tune in to sensory
input when it's needed.
But some individuals' sensoryresponse system is set way above
(07:06):
middle C and some are set below.
So some individuals will needsensory input and some will need
to be protected.
So here are some ways to dothat.
We can have a rest area or aplace to take a break from some
of that input that's coming at.
(07:27):
We can not focus on eye contact.
We can use noise-cancelingheadphones or earplugs.
We can add rocking chairs ortrampolines.
So if you notice there someonewho is going to have a rest from
(07:47):
sensory input or use noisecanceling headphones, those are
individuals that receive sensoryat higher input and can be
overwhelmed.
Those who might need to go fora walk or jump on a trampoline
or have a rocking chair they aregoing to need more sensory
(08:08):
input are going to need moresensory input.
So I want you to thinkindividually and know that we
are going to have all kinds ofdifferent people who are going
to have different experiencesand we need to consider that as
we provide options forregulating that sensory input.
(08:33):
Strategy number four we're goingto think alongside the person
that may need some assistance.
Okay, so we might need to comealongside them if they're unable
to express their concerns.
We might need to read some bodylanguage and take into
(08:56):
consideration questions likewhat just happened?
What happened after?
What might the person have seen?
What have they heard?
What have they touched?
Did they smell or tastesomething?
Who is a part of the setting?
What's going on before?
Is this a one-time thing or isthis something that has
(09:18):
reoccurred before?
So we're kind of processing andthinking through what could be
causing the issues.
What might be a trouble to thatperson in the moment if they
can't express it?
How can we even further createthe five-star experience with
(09:38):
this?
And this is something that Irefer to in our ministry as a
buddy system system and avolunteer who helps the
individual navigate the servicesand the systems that are going
on or the event that they are apart of, and they can help
navigate the sensory input.
(09:59):
They can navigate thecommunication needs.
They can navigate providingnecessities to help that person
be successful in thatenvironment.
Another strategy is makingroutines and providing that to
be comfortable, and you can dothat by creating visual
(10:22):
schedules you can print.
Most churches have, like anorder of service they could
share that you could beintentional about your
transition techniques and thiscould be specific, especially
for kids or teens, when you givelet them know what's coming or
(10:45):
how much time they have left tomove on to the next thing.
And which actually takes usinto strategy number six, which
is providing using advancedwarning systems which is saying
hey, five minutes till cleanup,or this is what's going to
happen next, this is what'sgoing to happen next.
You want to provide for theunexpected as much as possible.
(11:08):
You want to use concretelanguage, use those visual
schedules, give that verbalcountdown and maybe you have a
special signal for change, toprepare as things move along,
all of those kinds of things,those advanced warning systems,
(11:29):
right, like we're used tohearing, you know weather type
things, you know whether we havea severe thunderstorm warning
or a tornado warning orsomething like that.
It gives you steps to preparefor the next thing that's coming
and that's what you want to dothrough that and that's what you
want to do through that.
Strategy number seven closingthe communication gap.
(11:49):
So we want to plan ahead forthose.
We might want to take some timeto kind of translate on the
spot, if we can't necessarilyanticipate what words or phrases
(12:10):
are coming or going to be used.
This gives us the chance tohave a conversation right in the
moment.
You might want to providewritten materials such as, you
know, bulletins or scriptures,that kind of stuff, and we want
to use visuals and interact withcommunication devices, maybe
(12:34):
learning ASL or using thosestrategies in signing, if that
is someone's preferred language,and preparation ahead of time.
We do something at our summergetaway and our respite nights
where we give the individuals anopportunity to experience what
(12:56):
might be coming, so they mighthear about the, maybe the, the
person that is in scripture,that the, that the sermon will
mostly be about.
They might experience somethinghands-on that goes with what
we're teaching through that, allof those kinds of things to
kind of prepare and open the wayfor communication.
(13:19):
And communication is not justone person delivering
information, it's also on thereceiving end.
So you wanna take into contextboth of those things.
Moving on to strategy numbereight visuals, visuals, visuals,
visuals, using visuals toenforce what we're saying and
what we're doing.
Again we'll go back to theschedules that we've already
(13:42):
talked about providing a visualschedule.
We've talked about usingconcrete language and taking it
a step further with thatfive-star experience and putting
visuals to prayer time to.
You don't want people just tosay it, you want to do it so you
can show what something wouldlook like.
(14:06):
Through that you can usevisuals for time management.
All of those kinds of thingsare going to be highly
beneficial.
Moving on to strategy numbernine, we want to consider you
might have heard the term socialstories.
Writing a story out to show howa character went through
(14:28):
something will benefit people innew situations.
It will help them to understandwhat's coming, help them to see
what they may or may notexperience.
It's helpful to describingexpected behavior or what
changes might be coming.
It's great for describingspecific events or even
(14:52):
correcting specific behavior.
So social stories it's creatinga story about an event you want
them to know that's coming, abehavior you would like for them
to show or to correct.
So all of that kind of thingcan be done in.
A social story is incrediblybeneficial because it brings
(15:16):
what you're saying to a concretelevel.
It's creating those visuals.
It's giving the full picture ofwhat you are hoping to
communicate.
Strategy number 10, I absolutelylove teaching instead of
reacting.
We have the innate ability torespond with reactions that
(15:44):
could make or break a situation.
I'm gonna give you a very sillyexample my mother-in-law.
She worries about the childrenespecially when my kids were
little getting hurt, and in anylittle situation you would hear
her go oh, and it could benothing, could be absolutely
(16:06):
nothing, but when the kids wouldhear her do that, they would
assume something is wrong, andso then their reactions would
follow hers.
And so this is a really greatreminder of watching our
reactions, keeping those undercontrol and then teaching
through the situation so thatthey understand and know what's
going on, as to why or why notthey need to be doing or not
(16:32):
doing what you would haveactually reacted to.
So be aware of those reactionsand make sure that you're
teaching through them and notjust reacting, which is kind of
creating the narrative of what'sgoing to happen.
Why do we do all of this?
Because we want to create afive-star experience, just like
(16:54):
Jesus did.
He was very intentional aboutbeing individual and purposeful
for the interactions that he had, so that other people could
come to know a loving Savior whocould make a choice that would
change their life for eternityTo follow Jesus and to glorify
Him in all that they do and allthat they say In their
(17:17):
experiences, because Jesus isour model.
He showed us best, so let'screate those five-star
experiences in our churches.
Do I know everything aboutdisability ministry?
Do I have all the answers?
Have I done everythingperfectly?
I've absolutely not, but we aregoing to continue this
(17:41):
conversation so that people ofall abilities can have the
opportunity to know Christ, growin Him and serve Him with the
gifts that he has given them.
For deeper dives into thesetopics and more, check out
indispensablepeoplecom and visitAmazon to purchase the books
(18:01):
the Indispensable Kid and GospelAccessibility and the
Indispensable People.
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