Understanding Neurodiversity: Challenges and Solutions in Church Settings

This is the transcript of a talk I gave to the Manchester Roofbreaker Network. https://throughtheroof.org/forchurches/roofbreakers/ There is a lot more to be said on this topic but in 20 minutes this is what I had the time to say.

© Lynn McCann.  Through the Roof Manchester event at Holy Trinity Platt Church 6.7.24.

Autistic and ADHD people have one main thing in common, and that is that their difference is hidden. Because they have different brains, brains that process and experience the world differently, we can’t see this and so they are misunderstood, judged unfairly and dismissed so often, and it doesn’t even seem an issue for most people… until you hear the voices of those autistic and ADHD people themselves.

We have come a long way in our understanding of our human brains.  But somewhere along the way, some humans decided that there was a thing called a ‘normal brain’… or neurotypical as it is now known.  Apart from there being no such thing in reality, what we should know is that there are as many different ways the brain can work as there are human beings!  

Neurodiversity

We now call this neurodiversity, and like bio-diversity, each person needs the right environment and nutrition to be able to grow and thrive.  

We currently use the term ‘neurodivergent’ to explain people whose brains have a range of characteristics and ways of processing and thinking, that are different from the majority.  (I’m not keen on the term myself, I’m hoping for a better one to come!) 

This is where we group autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, dyspraxic, Tourettes and other conditions and each has its own diagnostic criteria.   Even then, the lines between these conditions are blurring as we know more and more about them, and it is very common to have a diagnosis of Autism and ADHD, or ADHD and dyslexia etc.  

Judged

For this talk I have collected testimonies from my many autistic and ADHD friends, my family, and from the posts of the Additional Needs Alliance facebook group, of which I am an admin member.  

One striking commonality is that autistic and ADHD people often feel misunderstood and mis-judged in church.  There are a wide range of experiences of church, but many autistic and ADHD people are commonly judged to be awkward, anti-social, ‘too much’ and expected to fit in with the way things are done.  Because their difficulties are hidden, the majority have experienced quite shocking dismissals and judgemental attitudes from others, and many find attending church far more exhausting than refreshing.  Masking is a common coping strategy, where autistic and ADHD people work really hard to fit in and appear to be what is expected of them.  This is exhausting and leads to a lot of anxiety in case the mask slips, and can often lead to physical and mental burnout with the effort needed to keep the mask in place.  

For autistic and ADHD people their experiences each Sunday can be different. Each time they attend, costs us them ways others don’t understand. Some can have acute sensitivity to noise and struggle to manage unexpected social interactions.  So even getting through the door where the welcomers might try to hug them has can make anxiety levels very high.  Thankfully, we have been able to make sure at our church, hugs are only given with permission. 

During the service, any unexpected noise can overload them, and if we have the ‘peace’ time during communion, some want to hide under their chair to avoid all the unexpected human contact.  

Others go to church with a different set of anxieties.  Family members can be watching their autistic or ADHD loved ones carefully, because if they reaches a certain point, they can have a meltdown and they have to help them get out and get home to recover.  

Some need to move. They struggle to sit still and focus through the service.  They struggle to listen and concentrate on long sermons and can easily become bored or lose track.  In children we tell them off for not sitting still.  Adults will find ways of disguising this by doodling, getting up to use the loo in the middle or daydreaming about something else (could be spiritual things!) 

For many their biggest problem is people pleasing.  They have acute rejection sensitivity dysphoria, which is becoming much better known in the autism and ADHD world.  Often caused by early experiences of not fitting in and being given negative feedback about your natural self, coupled with an extra-sensitive emotional sensory system, they will say yes to nearly anything.  This means they can often seen to be busy at church.  People don’t see them ‘crash’ at home afterwards.  

I have started writing about my faith and my ADHD on this blog, so I won’t talk too much about all the ways it affects me and benefits me.  But like my autistic and my ADHD friends, what people see on the outside should NOT be judged by typical and often wrong, standards.  Some people’s need to leave the service as it finishes might be seen as anti-social, whilst busyness might be seen as great spiritual service.  But both of those judgements can be wrong.  But we love the Lord and serve him how we can with our hearts, minds and what strength we have been given.  What people see on the outside does not mean we are what people think.  I am fortunate to be in a church that doesn’t judge this way.  There are many autistic and ADHD children and adults in our church.  Wearing headphones, doing crochet, standing, sitting or walking around for worship is no problem and the leaders help me say no to some things and protect me in that way.  This is not typical in so many other churches. 

Loved

Each person is unique and the way they are will be different.  We are all loved and included in God’s Kingdom and want to be included in his church too. I know amazingly academic autistic people who I am learning a lot about theology from. The Centre for Autism and Theology at Aberdeen University has helped me start to learn how to look more deeper into theology than I have ever been able to grasp before. https://www.abdn.ac.uk/sdhp/centre-for-the-study-of-autism-and-christian-community-1725.php

I also know autistic people who are non-verbal and considered to have severe learning difficulties.  Usually, once we learn to communicate together, there is more they can tell us than we first think, and there are autistic people at any point between these that are trying to live lives in a society that doesn’t understand them or make accommodations.  Many don’t get to church at all.  Families are often torn when one of the parents has to stay at home with an autistic or ADHD child or adult because it is too difficult to be at church together. 

Church

The autistic and ADHD children I work with are tortured by our education system, and I don’t say that lightly.   They experience frequent bullying, misunderstanding, blame, sensory overload and extreme anxiety, in a society that expects them to do all the fitting in.   Then we often make them try to fit into Sunday School (please don’t make it like school!) when they have had a terrible and exhausting week of failing at school.  Adults too can be in the same situation after a week at work.   

The people I have spoken to recently talk about church being a huge sensory overload, too noisy, the texture of the chair cushions being too rough, people wanting to touch them, the smells, the getting up and sitting down. They talk about the social tea and coffee time being overwhelming, changes that are not explained, growth groups being inaccessible and being judged on other people’s expectations about what makes a good Christian – for example, having a daily quiet time – that does not work for many ADHD people, it’s far too boring!  

So many of my autistic and ADHD friends often feel inadequate, excluded, isolated and misjudged.  More than one of them complained about the ‘tut’ brigade of people who roll their eyes or tut when their autistic or ADHD child is running around or having a meltdown, which is when a person is in huge distress and does not need to be told to control themselves.  Or at the adult who they think is going on too long about something, or bringing up details and issues that are important to them, but others can’t see why.  

Access, Belong, Commission (ABC)

Church should be a sanctuary from the world, not more of the same pressure!  

So, looking at the ABC structure that Through the Roof have created, what can we do to help make our churches be that sanctuary where autistic and ADHD people can be themselves and thrive in their faith?  They need a sanctuary where they can take down their masks and safely be themselves.  Of course, Having a Roofbreaker in each church means they have a trusted person to talk to who can speak up for them if they can’t.  

A – Access 

Think about the sensory environment particularly.  It may be that you need different areas for different needs, such as a quieter area for those who are overloaded, and areas where people can move about freely.  

• Think about how you communicate what is happening, for some visual communication is so helpful, especially if they cannot read. Others may like recorded sermons or messages they can listen to in their own way. 

• Make it okay to wear headphones, sit down or do whatever is comfortable in worship, consider the volume of the worship. 

• Train your welcome and leadership team to understand these hidden conditions and believe in them.  I say that because there is so much disbelief about ADHD for example, we need training to dispel the myth that it is caused by bad parenting and is about naughty boys! 

• Help people understand sermons by linking to concrete examples, explaining spiritual words and concepts and giving links to further reading.  Treat all questions as legitimate searching for truth and don’t dismiss what might seem obvious, as autistic and ADHD people might not get the inference.  Others might have deep knowledge they want to share with you, so make time to discuss spiritual issues with them if you can’t do it after a service. 

• Discuss with your autistic and ADHD members how to make your growth groups and groups for children more accessible – try to think beyond making them social times or like Bible comprehension classes for a start! 

B – belonging

• John Swinton says “To belong, you have to be missed.”  The most common thing autistic and ADHD people need is acceptance.  Getting to know their stories and faith testimonies is important.  Share their testimonies in your church congregation.  

• Let them ask their deep questions and explain things as well as you can, especially for those who struggle with abstract concepts and need something concrete to link to. That involves really listening and letting go of our expectations about how God works. 

• Talk about difference and being the body of Christ and let all the congregation know that when we are all created in God’s image, that does NOT mean one size fits all! 

• Create a safe place to be able to drop our masks.  It is important for autistic and ADHD people to find their identity in Christ from within, knowing that the way they are is complete and wonderfully made.  I cannot be in Christ in some artificial way – it has to be through my ADHD brain, and it is in that way that I find my most wonderful experiences and deep understanding of God and his love for me. 

C – Commission 

• We can learn a lot from the faith stories and insights of autistic and ADHD people.  I know a non-verbal autistic man, who needs daily care for all his needs, who has an amazing prayer and prophetic ministry.  Mark Arnold’s non-verbal son, James has a ministry through Mark’s blog. https://theadditionalneedsblogfather.com.  I have an autistic friend who is a Baptist minister and know many autistic and ADHD clergy in different church denominations. 

• Don’t just help the person to adapt to your neurotypical ways of doing something, especially things like preaching and teaching.  Recently the CofE had a meeting to say how they were going to help neurodivergent people access ministry – but I was really disappointed because the message I received was ‘we will help you fit in to our systems’ – not we will change the system to work for you. (There are people who are speaking up to try and change the systems).   In my church I am being supported to preach in the way that works for me.  

So in Conclusion;

Jesus did not limit anyone because of their intellect, condition or disability.  He took the outcasts, the marginalised and the forgotten and gave them the same invitation as everyone else… Follow me.  

I have only been able to say a little about the autistic and ADHD experiences of church in this talk, but please do keep learning and listening because autistic and ADHD people have so much to contribute to the life and soul of the faith we all share. 

RSD and Faith: Finding Healing and Strength in God’s Love

royalty free image pixabay.com

This article in ADDitude magazine introduced me to Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria some years ago when I was investigating ADHD in women and realising that I ticked all the boxes.

New Insights Into Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria

“Rejection sensitive dysphoria is not a formal diagnosis, but rather one of the most common and disruptive manifestations of emotional dysregulation — a common but under-researched and oft-misunderstood symptom of ADHD, particularly in adults. Rejection sensitive dysphoria is a brain-based symptom that is likely an innate feature of ADHD. Though the experience of rejection sensitive dysphoria can be painful and even traumatic, RSD is not thought to be caused by trauma.

Dysphoria is the Greek word meaning unbearable; its use emphasizes the severe physical and emotional pain suffered by people with RSD when they encounter real or perceived rejection, criticism, or teasing. The emotional intensity of RSD is described by my patients as a wound. The response is well beyond all proportion to the nature of the event that triggered it.”

This is illuminating and I now talk about RSD in all my training and work with ADHD people Recently I was doing ADHD and girls training in a school, when on one of the feedback forms I saw this comment;

“When I heard you explaining RSD, I nearly left the room to have a cry. This behaviour has completely shaped my life.”

I was glad to chat with the person and reassure them afterwards – but this happens to lots of Autistic and ADHD women in particular (men have this too) when they hear about RSD for the first time and it shines a light into their whole lives and suddenly lots of confusing incidents then make more sense.

RSD and My Christian Faith

I have been a Christian for 33 years and have suffered with RSD all my life. Only I didn’t know what it was until pre-diagnosis I found this article and realised what I had been living with. It does shape your life and is the reason why so many ADHD women (and men) are extreme people pleasers, often to their own detriment. Why do I always say ‘yes’ before thinking? Yes, some impulsivity is behind it, but also it is a way to avoid criticism, rejection, letting people down and off-the-cuff comments that can tear me up inside.

In my Christian life I think I have a strong faith. I love Jesus with all my heart above all other things and people in my life. I want to serve him, I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit and I hear his voice in many ways, through pictures, feelings and words of knowledge. I love the Bible, teach it to others and pray almost all the time. I know this doesn’t give me brownie points with God, but my desire to please him is fastidious. And I wonder if the RSD and this are linked?

I do want to please God, and at times I have been afraid of his disapproval of me (some sermons of the hellfire type are not good for RSD affected people at all). I worry about disappointing him and being left out of his love. This is not the truth, of course. I can only tell you my own testimony that by keeping giving these feelings and doubts to God over all these years, He only comes back to me with love and kindness. He reassures me and gives me strength. I love his Word in the Bible, because that is what I use to remind me of these truths. The Psalms in particular are so ingrained in my memory that I can now quote verses like these below to myself when I am tempted to doubt God’s total love and acceptance of me.

Psalm 62:8 NIV
“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”

Psalm 5:11 NIV
“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.”

Psalm 18:2 NIV
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

But the RSD is something I have feared for a long time. Any kind of rejection, getting into trouble, upsetting someone, a criticism, a negative remark or even a perception that someone might not like what I say or do, sends my fear alarm into high alert. This releases adrenalin into my body, and I get a huge physical reaction. This can hang around in my system for days or weeks and even a memory of a past incident can trigger the response.

It is like a wave of dread coursing through from my head to my toes.

It makes my muscles ache and sometimes I shake. I will do anything to get out of that feeling. Often, I have either done the ‘flight’ thing and run away from the situation or I ‘fawn’ and give the person what they want or do what I can to apologise and appease them. Thoughts I don’t want go round and round in my head. I have recognised for a long time that this is not healthy and have been asking God to heal me from this for some time.

So what do the experts say?

Dr Sharon Saline (https://drsharonsaline.com/2021/05/25/rejection-sensitive-dysphoria/) and others suggest ways of overcoming RSD with strategies that change your mindset and give you key questions and actions to counteract the feelings of rejection. Some of her ideas include:

1. Reinforce your strengths
2. Work on not taking things personally
3. Develop the habit of repeating affirmations to yourself
4. Acknowledge and validate your feelings (but remember they don’t always tell you the truth)
5. Give yourself space to vent safely
6. Focus in on your good relationships and enjoy those you love

Others suggest practicing mindfulness or meditation. Journalling your thoughts and bringing them under God’s word can help. All of these are good Christian concepts too. We can develop habits that include Jesus as the focus of our strengths, giving our thoughts and feelings to him in prayer, affirming our minds with Bible promises, examining our feelings and thoughts in the light of those promises and allowing ourselves to be honest with him in our prayers.

Ultimately, Jesus is there for us and wants us to bring all our burdens to him. Maybe you could try some Christian mediative practices? I personally like the Lectio 365 app which helps me start and end each day meditating on God’s word without it feeling too challenging (or long!) https://www.24-7prayer.com/resource/lectio-365/

Here is the good news!  

God has got us!  He has given us good things. I have relationships with people I absolutely trust, and I can go to them and to God any time I am struggling and we have joyful times together.  My church experiences have been mixed, but generally, where truth and grace are preached, I am at home.  Because God is truth, grace and love to me.

In the past two years God has been working in me to help me understand this rejection sensitivity, acknowledge what it is, and how it works in my life.  He has helped me heal from past rejections and now find ways of giving the feelings to him as they come.   I am allowing him to be my healing and my refuge.  

I use some of the above strategies and when the RSD comes, I go for a short walk and pray, just thanking God that he is my refuge and my strength.  Then the physical sensations start to subside and as I walk home often just a little while later, I can see the problem more logically and decide whether to do something about it or that it isn’t something that needs bothering about at all. I am getting there!   

I have had to learn how to change the internal self-talk that us ADHD people are so good at doing.  We might have a hundred conversations going on inside our head as we navigate life and our experiences.  It is that internal self-talk that can become so destructive as we catastrophise and convince ourselves of the lies we think about ourselves.  This is why this verse in Romans has become so important to me: 

Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.“

Is RSD the Thorn in My Side? 

I believe that God has given me a chance to use my understanding of RSD to help others.  It gives me huge empathy when others are hurting or struggling.  

RSD has helped me in perceiving all the possible responses to a topic or situation. This means that when I prepare a talk, sermon or presentation I have done it so thoroughly that I have taken into account every possible viewpoint I can.  This means I always try to make my talks, writing and training informative and knowledgeable and I usually am able to make it real for people in many circumstances they are in.  

I listen to people a lot.  And that brings me insights and friendships on a deeper level than I thought possible.   I can usually find the good in anyone, even those who I dislike or who have hurt me or people I love massively.  This is a good illustration for me about how God could forgive me and how he could love me the way he does.  

We were at risk of rejection by God when we ignored him and turned from his love.  That’s the worst feeling in the world for me and when I heard the Gospel all those years ago,  I saw the joy and freedom that was on offer to me and readily accepted it.  God didn’t take away the RSD from me but has used it to help me understand the depth of his love for me and for others.  Like Pauls said:

2 Corinthians 12:9  NIV “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.“

royalty free image pixabay.com

Using Sensory Bible Stories to engage children and adults with additional needs

A Sensory Bible Story for Palm Sunday is used as the model for this post. Download the whole story from https://www.bdeducation.org.uk/product/sensory-stories-for-easter/ Along with many others!

This is the Palm Sunday sensory story. And this is a video I did of how to prepare and present a sensory story at a training session last year. 

This video will show you how to prepare and present a sensory story.

Summary and helpful tips

A sensory story is a story with minimal language. We write only the key sentences and try to keep to between 8-10 where possible.  Then each sentence is matched with a sensory experience and throughout the story we try to engage all the sensory systems, but just one at a time.  As well as sight, sound, smell, touch and taste, we can engage our sense of movement, balance and our internal sensations of hunger, thirst, emotions and temperature.  Some are easier than others but in any one story we try to have a variety of different sensory experiences.

Sensory stories can be used with all ages.   I used them when I worked in a special school all the time for literacy lessons, RE lessons, history lessons and the teenage children I taught were really engaged with them.  I have used them in our adults with learning disability church group (The Good News Group) for years too.  They can be used in children’s groups of all ages and even with growth groups or other small groups.  Anything that gives us space and time to engage all our senses with God’s word can be helpful in many different spaces. 

If possible, know your children’s sensory triggers.  Find out before you start the story if there are any particular triggers such as certain noises.  If your story has something that triggers, find out if it can be tolerated if they don’t get involved (eg, a texture of something) or if it needs to be changed (eg. a noise that causes pain).  Thinking of alternatives in the moment is a skill – but it does develop with experience.  We must never put a child through pain or distress.  We are trying to help them see these Bible stories as something full of awe and wonder, something to engage with and experience. So do be careful and respectful with your sensory activities.  

Take time to read the story.  Keep to the script so it says the same thing every time.  Those who cannot read can listen to the rhythm of the language and look at the symbols to see the sequence of events.  All the stories we have created come with Widgit symbols.

Don’t rush on to another activity afterwards. Such as the craft to ‘prove’ what you’ve been doing.  Let the group take time over the story and if they like it, read it at least twice and the second time they might get more involved because it will be familiar to them.  If someone is likely to want to keep hold of an item, don’t tell them off.  Use that as a chance to talk about that part of the story again, and maybe have some additional items next time.  The idea is not to move on a quickly as possible and get on with the next thing, but to tarry, to take time, to walk the story through and have some time to process and think about what it might have been like.  

Have a main story teller.  Let the other helpers sit back and maybe sit beside a person who might need some gentle support.  This person should not make the person pass on the objecteg. Not “now you must pass it on to the next person”, but to gently encourage by saying things like “maybe the next person would like to fell the hard stone that was like the one at the tomb.”

Let the group decide what to do with the story once it’s finished.  Some might like to retell it themselves, some will just walk away and do the next thing.  That’s ok.

Consider using the story again. Remember reading a favourite story over and over again.  We can help ingrain these stories into the lives of the people we are sharing them with through familiarity.  The more they experience the Bible, the more they can develop their relationship with Jesus. 

And consider developing the stories with the Why? Stories.  Here’s some that could be used with this Palm Sunday story. https://www.bdeducation.org.uk/product/why-stories-for-easter/

(The next blog will be about Why? Stories – so look out for it!) 

I believe in healing.

Following on from my last blog, “Should I ask God to heal me of ADHD?”, I wanted to expand on the theme of healing.  

Images from Pixabay.com

Psalm 30 1-3

Lord, I will give you honour.

You brought me out of deep trouble

    You didn’t give my enemies the joy of seeing me die.

Lord my God, I called out to you for help.

    And you healed me.

Lord, you brought me up from the place of the dead.

    You kept me from going down into the pit.

I believe God heals.  I believe Jesus heals today.  I believe in miraculous healing.  The gospels are full of healing testimonies.  Jesus healed wherever he went.  

Luke 4v40

At sunset, people brought to Jesus all who were sick. He placed his hands on each one and healed them.

Luke 6 v17-19

Jesus went down the mountain with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there. A large number of other people were there too. They came from all over Judea, including Jerusalem. They also came from the coastland around Tyre and Sidon. They had all come to hear Jesus and to be healed of their sicknesses. People who were troubled by evil spirits were made well.  Everyone tried to touch Jesus. Power was coming from him and healing them all.

When I first met Jesus, I was healed too.  I was healed of depression, the effects of trauma and bad relationships. I was healed of the effects of being involved in spiritualism.  The scripture in Luke 6, “People who were troubled by evil spirits were made well,” is my testimony too.  Over the years, that healing has continued.  Growing in faith, reading God’s word and putting it into practice in my life has healed different things at different times. There are things I would still like to be healed from.  But trusting God through Jesus Christ has to be the my main thing.  Like Paul said, 

But he said to me, “My grace is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.” So I am very happy to brag about how weak I am. Then Christ’s power can rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

I have listened to many disabled people and their thoughts and experiences about healing.  Autistic and ADHD people who want healing for the trauma of being judged and labelled as bad or broken.  People with serious illnesses who long to be made well physically.  Deaf people who do want to hear and those who don’t, but want the world to be more accessible to them.  People with long term illnesses or physical disabilities who have ministries that have grown out of their disability.  I have known a person healed from a serious back condition, their spine was straightened miraculously.  The only certain thing is that Jesus can and does heal.  But is this something we must desire or seek above all else?  Can God not use us in the state we are in?  Many disabled people do want healing, but the power and will to heal belongs between them and Jesus himself, just as it did between Jesus and those he met in the gospels.  

Jesus said that those who came to him were looking for signs.  He had compassion on them.  But why when at the pool of Bethesda did he only choose one person to heal?  Why not all the others?  Even then, Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed – he didn’t assume what he wanted, which showed great respect to the man.   

“When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’

John 5v6

Did the others not deserve to be healed?  It’s a hard and unfathomable fact that not everyone is healed. It is easy to assume that the others did not have the faith to be healed.  But the Bible does not say that. In fact, Jesus expressly said that disability was not the result of sin when he healed Bartimaeus,

“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.  His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

John 9 v1-3

The man who was lowered through the roof by his friends was forgiven his sins.  Not healed at first.  The healing that came, was described as a sign to prove Jesus’ authority to the religious leaders who were calling Jesus a blasphemer.  

Joni Erickson Tada, a quadriplegic woman who has been a disability minister for many years since the accident that caused her disability says;

“God has taught me that he wants to display his power in my life in far more glorious ways than if I were to jump out of this wheelchair.”

Her story and testimony can be listened to here https://joniandfriends.org/podcast/a-deeper-healing/

So, the focus of healing or not being healed is to display God’s power.  Can you get your head around that?  I agree with Joni that God is concerned with the health of our soul much more than our bodies.  We should seek healing in our souls more than healing in our bodies.  I do encourage you to listen to Joni’s podcast about this. 

One of the biggest problems is the judgement that comes from those Christians who impose their narrow understanding of how God works in people’s lives on disabled people.  I have friends who are wheelchair users who regularly have people coming up to them and praying for their healing without even asking them if that is okay, or even if it’s what they want.  I have friends who are autistic being told they are demon possessed, and those who have mental health conditions who are told by other Christians they must not have enough faith because they haven’t let God heal them.  

A deeper understanding of our human condition is needed.  Jesus came to save us all from our sins.  Yes, he heals. Yes, healing can lead to salvation, but so can living with a condition that leads you into deeper trust and even ministry with Jesus.  I see Jesus working through the ministry and testimony of disabled people all the time.  Joni is one example, but there are many more.  Sadly, there are those who haven’t been able to minister, preach or serve in the church because their disability is seen as a sin or lack of faith.  

I pray for the healing of bad attitudes and mistaken theology.  I pray for the healing of our souls – the same souls that are persecuting, judging and bullying disabled people out of the church.  Jesus came to renew our minds, to give us life to the full – but what that looks like in each of us is much deeper than an outward or physical change. It is our hearts that need the healing.  Again, I don’t ask for healing of my ADHD because when the situation is right for me, I thrive in my faith, and my ADHD is an asset not a curse.  Maybe that could happen for more and more people who we see as disabled.  If we created the environments that were more accessible for more people, then we would release their gifts, enable them to serve and preach and Jesus would be glorified in their lives.  Healing is much more than we might first think about.  

Dear Father, 

I pray for the healing of your people, in your church. May we really see each other as you see us, help us seek you and your kingdom, may we learn to seek the healing you want for us deep in our souls.  Expand our understanding of how you use the weak things of this world to shame the wise.  Lord release all of our gifts, and help us create environments that enable those gifts to be used for your glory. In Jesus Name.  Amen. 

Should I ask God to heal me of ADHD?

I’ve struggled with my own brain for all my life.  When I became a Christian, I became exposed to the ‘right way of thinking’ or ableism of church participation.  The ideas that good Christians read the Bible every day, prayed in quiet times and took notes on sermons that they could discuss intellectually in home groups were bombarding me.  

I have struggled with my brain all the years I’ve been a Christian.  Which is more than 30 years.  I became a Christian when at the age of 21, and in a real mess in my life, God came and rescued me.  I asked a question to the sky “God, are you really there?” and he answered me.  I felt it, I experienced it as a physical wave of peace washing through my body.  And I have loved him ever since. 

But that doesn’t mean I’ve found church easy.  I am naturally enthusiastic, chatty, quick to volunteer for things, struggle when I get bored and am very fidgety – but unless you know ADHD and masking, you wouldn’t put those things together in me…well, not at first.  I love organising, but it’s because I struggle to manage when other people are in charge.  And even though I regularly sail very close to disaster, somehow, God has brought me through the regular chaos of things being left to last minute or forgetting to do some vital thing.  I blurt out the stupid questions (that are probably what others want to ask but daren’t). On the surface, I am a master of masking.  I try to fit the expectations and be a good Christian.  But something just isn’t right about that.  I feel like an out of sync clock – a few seconds behind everyone else, and always trying to hide it. 

All images from pixabay.com

The reality I have had to come to terms with is that ADHD affects me more than I admit to others.  Daily functioning only happens with many lists and many mini-panic attacks that I’ve forgotten something or messed up again.  My greatest fear is letting people down and my rejection sensitivity disorder disables me more than anyone could imagine.  One small mistake or criticism means two weeks of physical shame as I struggle with the impact of that one small comment on my brain’s emotional centre.  Over the years of being a Christian, the impact of my early life and trying to be something I wasn’t (someone else’s idea of a good Christian) has led to depression and many years of soul searching.  I never seemed good enough.  I have even lost jobs because of what I now know was my ADHD disabilities.  

But should I ask God to heal me of ADHD?  Could he make my brain function differently so it doesn’t forget things or become bored so, so easily?  Could he make it concentrate better and not miss important information from other people when they are talking to me?  Could God change my brain to help me fit into society better and not be so impulsive?  Would my new brain remember to do daily quiet time and remember who to pray for each day?  Would I benefit from being able to concentrate on a sermon all the way through and not interrupt people during house group sessions.  Would I be able to calm my emotions so I don’t get so worried or panicky or upset for letting people down?  

The other side of this is the deep joy I have had in following Jesus for all these years.  The intensity of my emotions means I feel joy as a deep spiritual experience and the connection with God is deep and wonderful. I feel waves of peace through my muscles and organs as I connect with Him in praise and prayer.  I pray all the time, in my mundane and everyday activities rather than a set-aside quiet time because that works for me.  I seek God in everything because my brain is switched on to noticing everything around me.  In church I notice people, I see who looks sad, who is tired and who is struggling.  I hear God’s voice, sometimes audibly, often in reading the Bible ad-hoc and sometimes in dreams.  I respond impulsively to God’s leading to give someone a gift or to ask if they are okay.  I am keen to try new and creative ways of reaching out to people, to connecting with them and I have learned to use Makaton in worship because that means I can move and not have to sit still.  I was part of a congregation of people with learning disabilities and still speak out in church about disability and inclusion.   And healing has been part of my story – but not healing of the way my brain works – but healing of trauma, of rejection and of hurt.  I have been broken and remade my God’s love in all these years.  My relationship with my parents has been restored, my marriage has been kept strong and I have blessings beyond measure because God has worked with who I am and the way I am.  I learned to pick myself up from rejection and start a new thing. I’ve taken huge risks that led to amazing things.  I know that my life with Jesus is the most awesome thing that I would never change. 

Having had the official diagnosis only two and a half years ago, there has been a process of understanding myself and reframing my past in the light of this new identity.  Rather than disabling my identity in Christ, it has made more sense of it.  I won’t be asking him to heal me of ADHD at all.  The disabling aspects of my brain are those that make me turn to Jesus for help.  They have made me reliant on him and not afraid when there is a big problem in front of me.  I am a spiritual warrior because of my ADHD not despite it.  I believe I will have this brain in my resurrected body, but in the new heaven and new earth, I won’t be disabled by the disabling expectations that were never meant to be there in God’s Kingdom. 

Barriers – 1

In the UK we have been slowly breaking down the barriers to including people with disabilities.  I remember as a student visiting a large institution called Calderstones – a residential hospital for adults with learning disabilities. I cried all the way home. That was in the 80s.

Now the old hospitals have closed down and we have care in the community.  Whereas there are horrible stories like Winterbourne to contend with, there are also many successful and wonderful care organisations enabling people with learning disabilities live and be included in our communities. We have legislation and funding that enable people with LD to have some control over their lives and make decisions for themselves.

Read more: Barriers – 1

There is still a looooooooooong way to go. It is easier, however, to complain about what is not being done than join in and do something about it…  That is why I support organisations like Count Everyone In https://www.counteveryonein.org.uk   and Through The Roof https://throughtheroof.org who are doing some amazing work and are Christian organisations supporting churches to become more inclusive.

This of course is something very close to my heart. Years of leading a group for adults with learning disabilities at my last church was brilliant, but not many of them actually went to join the main church services or activities.  It always seemed such a separate congregation.  However, it has endured the lockdowns and is still going.  When I visit and teach there, usually once a term, they are still loving Jesus and are a wonderful Jesus focussed community.  

In my new church I am focussing on how we include people with additional needs in the main activities of the church, so that all we do becomes more inclusive.  It’s a journey and a challenge but I am so grateful to God for leaders that want to learn too.  

So as I reconsider the barriers to inclusion, I’ve updated this blog and am starting to write more up to date articles.  Here is barrier number 1 –

Barriers – 1 

Our church is open to growing and learning and doing what it can to include ALL people. It doesn’t happen immediately and despite an old building, accessibility is always on the agenda of that particular committee.  But it’s not only physical accessibility that is a barrier. In a way that is the easiest thing to deal with.

No…it’s the hidden barriers we must examine…like language, for example.

As soon as you walk through the door in many places of worship there may be a warm welcome and then a set of notices and/or a hymn book is thrust into our hands. But what if you can’t read?

We read the Bible…it’s a big book with small writing and lots of it. But what if you can’t read?

We sing songs from sheets, books or screens. But what if you can’t read?

There are posters about events and meetings, prayer letters, newsletters, gospel tracts. But what if you can’t read?

There is also those who struggle with sensory overload – the background noise that many of us are able to filter out can seriously impact their ability to hear what is said.  What seems like a quiet church to you might be sounding like a busy railway station to someone with acute sensory differences.  They may be able to read, but they cannot tune in or hear what s being said.  They can often end up with headaches or even become very distressed.  

Then there are people who can’t hear you?  Whether they have deafness through their life or acquire it as they get older there will be people who struggle to catch what is said, who can’t hear the greeting at the door, never mind the songs, sermons and prayers.  But deafness is not always complete loss of sound – some people really struggle with tuning into speech when there is background noise.  So sermons, conversations and readings can be very difficult to access. 

This article from a deaf Christian is really good at explaining some of the challenges and issues around being deaf at church. https://theconversation.com/deaf-christians-often-struggle-to-hear-gods-word-but-some-find-meaning-in-the-richness-of-who-they-are-128845 

All these are real experiences for people who have learning disabilities and other different needs in our church populations.  Even more concerning, they are reasons why people don’t come to church, or don’t hear the gospel in the first place.  By only relying on speech or having to read we are excluding people who need to be brought to the banquet.  (See Luke 14 verses 15-23).

Are we up to it?  Shall we ask the people with additional needs themselves what makes church good for them?  Shall we go and find out where they are and bring them into God’s Kingdom with us and work out how to do that in a way that will make sense to each person?  Shall we start a journey together and not be  afraid of trying things, learning together from our successes and failures and building a church fit for God’s family?

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ADHD and faith

It’s a challenge for me to write so personally. I’m worried that people will judge me and change their perception of me. But if I am to be authentic as a child of God, then I want to share my story to help others. So, here goes…

There is so much misinformation and prejudice about ADHD, from dismissal (there’s no such thing) to assuming it is a ‘naughty boy syndrome that people grow out of’.

So what if I tell you I am a 53 year old woman, recently diagnosed with ADHD?  

First, I would have to cope with your look of disbelief.  Then watch the cogs of your brain whirr around to find a suitable response.  I’d much rather hear “that’s interesting, what does that mean?” than “but you seem so normal” or “but isn’t that just a child thing.” 

In churches I have been part of over the years, I’ve often been pretending to be what I thought was normal and respectable.  I’d volunteer, share kindnesses with anyone and sit quietly through the sermons. Some churches have been places where I was able to open up and be more of myself and I am so grateful to them because that is how I started to heal and learn about myself.  It’s been a long journey to get to where I am now. Other churches have made me feel I don’t fit in.  I honestly don’t think they do this on purpose but teaching that implies ‘this is how to be a good Christian’ (and then Bible Study, quiet times, serving in the church, how to be a good parent, wife, woman… etc, are all ‘expected’) just crushed me.  I am not able to fit in that mould, I fight with the feelings of never being good enough.  I thank God that it has given me a deeper understanding of his grace.  I have learned that is the most important and only measure I need – am I enough for his grace. Always. 

SO, I have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) but I don’t argue with you all the time, I don’t visible fidget or climb the walls (oh, but if you really looked you’d see how much effort I need to employ to try and keep still) and I seem to be able to pay attention.  I don’t make impulsive decisions (do I not?) and people may think I am quite sociable.  I am. I am terrible at organisation, time keeping and am on the verge of chaos all the time.  However, when you first look, I seem organised, reliable and tidy.  (I am exhausted and have so many strategies to keep my life from collapsing into chaos, you could not imagine).  I am a people pleaser because I have such acute rejection sensitivity that any hint of criticism or rebuff, sends me into a spiral of depression and dread for weeks.   

In church I feel that I talk too much, take over with too much enthusiasm, struggle once the interest wains and can’t sit still for a whole sermon.  I often ‘need the loo’ in the middle or I manage to sit still and am squirming so much inside I can’t remember a word of what they said.  The best place for me was the Good News Group where we did things in small chunks, actively and practically.  I learned so much about my faith and belonging when I was part of that church. 

The thing is, we have got it wrong.   Attention Deficit is actually too much attention.  Everything catches my eye and when I go into a room, I scan and read every picture on the wall, every pattern in the wallpaper, the stains on the carpet and the drape of the curtains.  I have clocked all your family photos and the dust on your TV (sorry).  But I don’t judge. My brain just finds it interesting.  Then I scan the people.  I work out who is who, who they know and read their body language.  I notice what they are wearing, if they ironed their T-shirt and what their shoes are like.  I watch the interaction between the guests and work out quickly who is with who, who likes who and who feels awkward.   I can tell you who is feeling tired and who is excited to be there.  I love people and will soon start talking to anyone of them.  In the first two minutes I could know more about them than my husband would find out in 2 years. I might find it hard to stop talking but I’ve trained myself to ask questions and listen to the answers so I can make that person feel important and that I am interested in them.  Because did I tell you I love people?  I am curious and interested in their lives, what they do and why they are there.  I want to hear about their lives and their stories.  But yes, I also might be the one who gets stuck with your uncle Frank and his many tales.  I am not good at listening to something I’ve already heard.  As a Christian I fare better in quiet, unbusy places and environments.  I have grown in my faith and relationship with God through seeking these out.  I love places like Scargill House in Yorkshire and Whalley Abbey in Lancashire.  I pray best when I am in the countryside and walking on a quiet beach in the winter.  

Attention needs interest, so it’s a good job I am so fascinated by people and their stories.  But attention can be distracted and inanely bored if the interest fades.  And I have the boredom threshold of a gnat.  This is not attention DEFICIT.  This is attention overload.  That’s why people think people with ADHD don’t pay attention.  They only see it from the outside.  Not from the inside when there is so much going on in my brain all at once.  But faith stories and testimonies light up my life.  I love hearing how God works in people’s lives and love supporting and sharing those stories with others. 

Hyperactivity Disorder is not a disorder.  This is the need to move, the inability to sit still for long periods of time (are you sure humans were made to do that for 6-8 hours a day every day???) and to stimulate the brain through the sensory systems.  People think I can sit still, but it’s something I’ve been trained to do so all my life.  I also have what’s called rejection sensitivity.  This is related to my interoception sensory system (internal body signals and emotions).  I feel emotions hugely.  So criticism triggers a physical dread sensation in my body that used to last for more than two weeks, and if I felt really rejected, for years. That physical feeling I’d have to try and squash into my subconscious so I could function and manage day to day.  But this affected my behaviour.  I would override my need to move and mask my fidgeting to ‘be good’.    I find solace in my imagination.  Sometimes a Bible reading or something the preacher says sparks that imagination and I soar on wings like eagles! I can go off on a wonderful journey in my imagination where I am following the person who encountered Jesus back to their village, or imagining how I could put that in practice in my work and life.  I do go off on my own thought-journey during sermons (and it may look as if I’ve zoned out) so often, but for me that has been a gift from the preacher to help me go deeper in my faith. 

Impulsivity is another thing associated with ADHD.  It’s a curious one when you have rejection sensitivity.  You can’t upset anyone, so your impulsivity turns inwards.  You might do secret shopping on an impulse or turn to eating, special interests or hobbies – it doesn’t always have to be negative! Some people might get into drugs or addictions for this reason. I am creative and have probably tried nearly every craft going.  But you don’t just go for a starter kit – impulsivity leads you to buy the professional kit straight away.  But then, I am multi-talented and can produce a bit of craft for any occasion… but only if I am interested in that at the time!  But in church I might say yes to too many things and end up over stretched and over committed.  Please look after me and tell me to think rather than expect a quick answer.  I am so often exhausted by over-commitment, I’d like to rest a while sometimes.  It can lead to mental burnout and depression and in the past I have suffered with those. When Jesus is described as the Wonderful Counsellor – I have certainly found this to be a core aspect of my relationship with him, over many, many years of healing and restoration.

Self-esteem is a huge issue.  Imagine spending the whole of your life thinking you are broken. Wondering what is wrong with you and why things are so difficult that others seem to be able to manage naturally.   

Knowing Jesus has helped me walk through this life with a different perspective on everything.  I came to faith with a huge load on my back.  Over the years the Holy Spirit has gently and kindly led me through a journey of discovery and healing.  I have unlearned many self-destructive strategies I thought were helpful to me but actually hurt me and the ones I loved. I was trying to protect my fragile heart whilst pretending to be competent and I thought I knew best.   The best for me was to learn to surrender to the gentle, humble, powerful and kind love of God my Father.  In His grace I stand.  And having ADHD is who he made me to be. His power is made perfect in my weaknesses, his power works through my strengths. I am who he is making me to be because we are never finished.  I love Jesus with all my heart and am totally accepted, saved and made new in his death and resurrection.  I am not made wrong, but made differently (as Kat Mills sang) and that is God’s sovereignty over my life.  Hallelujah! 

Let the Little Children Come to Me.

Does this make you think ‘Ahhh” and visualise a cute picture of Jesus patting some innocent and attractive looking children on the head?   Some pictures have blond cherub like children…

Let the Little Children Come to Me – Jesus’ Words in 6 Bible Versions

some have happy, smiling and physically able children… (The LTLCCTM – website above is very good BTW)

You might even get a picture showing children from different races and cultures.But where are the pictures of Jesus with children with disabilities, with Down’s syndrome, those who are sad and angry, those who find it hard to pay attention and those who have physical differences like facial deformities? 

Would Jesus Be Welcomed At Your Church If He Arrived With Disabled Children?

Now that’s a bit more like it. 

There are truths about how society has treated the children (and into adulthood) who do not fit societies idea of ‘normal’  (fit, healthy, compliant, beautiful, economically useful and subservient perhaps?)  and this is going to hurt.

But not as much as it has hurt them.

For centuries our society has tried to forget the children who are different.  It has forced them to act normal, often through cruelty, strict discipline and punishment.  It has told them that if you want to be part of society you need to be what we decide is normal.  People who are different have been forced to be normal just to be safe.  

I hate using ‘them’ because they are ‘us’ – part of the body of Christ.  But they have been made ‘other’, not the same as ‘the normal ones’.  

They have been locked away in institutions, ignored and considered a ‘bad secret’ we don’t talk about.  Some still are. They are abused and beaten, deprived, medicated and ‘treated’ – anything to work towards making them ‘normal’. 

They have been told they are worthless and that they won’t amount to anything in a world that judges your worth by ‘normal’  (fit, healthy, compliant, beautiful, economically useful and subservient perhaps?) Exceptional people are only allowed to be exceptional in these areas of ‘normal’, unless they are one of the few that feel entitled to rule over others…because they are ‘more than normal’ than them and know what is best for the ‘less than normal’ people. 

Children with disabilities and differences have been persecuted and bullied by other children who are taught by society early on that ‘normal’ is the thing to be and ‘not normal’ is to be feared and ridiculed.  ‘Mong’, “Autistic’, “Gay” are now regular playground taunts even in the primary school.  Children who are different are taken advantage of, gaslighted, blamed and dismissed.  Everything they do is judged through the ‘normal’ lens. (fit, healthy, compliant, beautiful, economically useful and subservient perhaps?) They are told they have no potential and are a burden on society.  There are feeble attempts to support a few of them in schools, and then they are dropped and abandoned as they turn into adults. 

They are unheard, are not allowed to make decisions for themselves, talked over, rushed, ignored.  Scientists work hard to irradicate them.  It doesn’t even shock us when we hear that around the world, over 90% of children with Down’s syndrome are aborted.  Eugenics are celebrated.  Choosing the genetic make up of your child is on its way.  Would you make yours ‘normal’?  

Parents are told they have failed.  That they have failed to give society a ‘normal’ child and that they must now pay the price.  Families are judged, ostracised, excluded and dismissed.  They are given pity, not celebration when their precious child is born.  They are told they must fight but are always on the losing side of a system that fights back against them.  “Only normal people (fit, healthy, compliant, beautiful, economically useful and subservient perhaps?) accepted here”, it says.   They are gaslighted and bullied by normal people we call professionals because they have read about ‘their kind’ in books and theories.  They are blamed, ridiculed, fearful and overwhelmed.  They are exhausted.  

I have heard these stories but more importantly, so has God.  From the beginning he has heard the stones cry out to him.  The cruelty and the abandonment of part of the body of Christ is scandalous.  And that it is part of his church’s history and present state, is too.  

When Jesus walked this earth he showed us the way.  He didn’t just mean the ‘normal’ (fit, healthy, compliant, beautiful, economically useful and subservient perhaps?) children should be brought to him.   

Are you turning away those who Jesus loves?  Where are the ‘different ones’ in your church family?  Are you expecting them to be ‘normal’ to be accepted into God’s kingdom?  Are you putting your own rules around who Jesus will accept?  How many adults have grown up feeling God doesn’t love them or accept people like them – because they don’t fit into your ‘normal’ in the church? (fit, healthy, compliant, beautiful, economically useful and subservient perhaps?)

And then we enforce all that as they grow into adults. We treat them like children, pity them and ignore their talents, never giving them the chance to serve and use their gifts in leadership and church life. We limit their potential. We might be talking about children with additional needs in children’s ministry – but where are the talks about adults with additional needs in ministry training?

Dreams and Disappointments

Are you fearful and worried?  Are you disappointed with a dream you had that isn’t happening?   Are you trying to make things happen and barriers are in the way or there seems to be no response?  Do we feel that our lack of faith is making our dreams fail?

I have a dream of reaching out to people with learning disabilities with the gospel and equipping others to do the same (especially learning disabled believers themselves).   I’ve had this dream since I even before I became a Christian, even though I didn’t know what that desire really meant until I did know Jesus…. Then the context became clear. 

But when we face disappointment or failure, when we see the world but too many barriers in the way, then it is easy to question your dream.  Is it really from God?  Am I doing it wrong?  Do I not have enough faith? 

We can learn a lot from the dreamers in the Bible.  And the most famous of all is Joseph.  He dared to share his dreams, somewhat naively, to his brothers.  And we know how that turned out.  Don’t you think that when he was taken into slavery and later thrown into prison, that he questioned his dreams?  All those long years of it not turning out right.  I would have questioned God,  I would have asked him why had I got it so wrong?  I would have thought that maybe I needed to lower my expectations of what God was going to do, that maybe I’d got the dream wrong in the first place. 

I’m talking about this because I am dealing with my disappointments that my dreams, that I believe are God given, are not working out… but that is my pride.  I imagined the way my dreams would work out… and in pursuing my own plans I forgot that God works differently.  The other problem we often have is numbers.  How many times are we impressed by Christian and secular people who have thousands of responses to podcasts or you tube videos?  Of those with thousands of followers on any social media platform.  When you touch just one life do you think it is not enough?

Let me encourage you. 

When God touched your life – was it important?  

It was important to you… and it was important to God. 

So when we touch one person with kindness or encouragement or accessing the word of God, then we have made God’s dream come true.  There is so much frustration about what isn’t happening, so much comparison of numbers that we can forget that Gods measure of success is upside down from this world.  Just bringing up your own children with additional needs to know Jesus is a huge dream come true.  Just changing one attitude towards disability in your church is a huge dream come true. We don’t know the after effects.  But God’s plans will not fail. 

One day we might see huge numbers and huge changes, the things we dreamed about.  That will be in God’s time.  Joseph waited and waited faithfully.  He knew what disappointment was and so do we.  God is doing his work and he is giving us the privilege of sharing his dreams.  Our dreams are coming true in ways we can’t even imagine.  You are going to be amazed.  Worship and thank him now.  He is with you.  

I am disappointed but not discouraged and neither should you be. Come to Jesus and lay all your life before him. Surrender and humility isn’t popular in our society, but it is what will bring us into that place where Jesus is in the right place in our life – right at the centre. I am yearning for that holiness, and for holiness to be over all the self-reliance and over-effort I put into everything. Our time of not meeting, of being isolated from our Christian families, does not mean that Jesus has gone anywhere. He is there always. He is more than able to work in you to bring peace, hope and to fulfil HIS dreams in your life.

I have my dream.  I am wondering when it will happen as I imagine,  and I feel frustrated that I seem to be knocked back and getting nowhere.  But these thoughts about Joseph remind me that waiting is just part of the journey.  God’s will, will be done. 

People with learning disabilities and their right to a spiritual life

The 1995 Disability Discrimination Act  and The Human Rights Act state that people with disabilities have a right to a spiritual life.   There are studies that show hoe beneficial a spiritual dimension is to many people’s lives such as this:

“Common transcendent narratives that may be particularly relevant to people with disabilities include the belief that God endows each person with dignity and worth that is intrinsically based, cares about the pain and suffering people encounter in life, and has a redemptive plan for each person’s life experiences. Such narratives—when internalized, bestowed with sacred meaning, and reinforced by others—can foster positive health out- comes (Liu et al., 2014). In addition, theorists have noted the social support that flows from interacting with like-minded others in religious communities may positively affect wellness (Koenig et al., 2012).”

Health & Social Work Volume 44, Number 2 May 2019 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/hsw/article/44/2/75/5248513 by guest on 06 September 2020

But also, it is often found that adults in care homes and supported living are denied a spiritual life because staff lack training on how to support this.  I’m beginning to look at the writings and research on this issue and will be sharing more as I learn, but one thing I have noticed in my own experience of leading the Good News Group, that support from carers is vital to people with learning disabilities being able to access spiritual activities.  I have known a GNG member be discouraged from going to the group, being told “You don’t want to go to the GNG tonight, do you?”.  It was another carer who found this had been going on some time, when I had got in touch to see why the person hadn’t been attending. 

I think it is clear we need to pray for carers, who are often poorly paid, given little training, and would be terrified of answering spiritual questions from their residents in case they were accused of misleading or directing them to a particular religion.  Many carers have no religious belief themselves and would not feel confident in talking about the bigger questions in life.   Carers are part of our ministry too.

What is your experience?  Are you a person who feels left out or included on your church. Does your church make itself accessible for your needs? You may be in a church that provides a service for people with learning disabilities (such as the old Prospects Groups or our Good News Group) or you may be providing accessibility for children with different abilities and additional needs in your children’s work.  Children are often brought to church by their families, who have brought them because of their own spiritual belief.  If we work to make our children’s work more accessible to all, we can build a child’s faith and confidence that they belong in God’s family no matter what the world says their value in society is.   But there’s a huge gap in the guiding of children with additional needs into an adult life and an adult faith.  They are too often treated like children forever.  I really want to do something about this.   I haven’t been involved in the Good News Group for 2 years now and in that time I have reflected on where God would want me to get involved.  I have read and prayed and come to the conclusion that it is adults with learning disabilities that are neglected in churches and in resources online.  Lockdown has given me chance to talk with some of my differently abled friends and ask them about their faith, hope and ambitions in church.  They often don’t see a place for themselves apart from what others do for them.  I’d like to see more opportunities for them to grow in faith, lead others and share the gospel with people who haven’t heard it yet.  There is a Baptist study that showed that adults with learning disabilities are one of the most unreached people’s in the UK.  

We have all been challenged by not being able to meet.  It’s been so encouraging to see groups for adults doing services online and sharing ideas.  But the fact is that we are not going to be able to meet physically for a long time yet, as often the people in our groups are medically very vulnerable.  So it really is time to rethink how we reach out to people with learning disabilities.  It’s going to be a challenge and one I am praying and chatting to people about.  Making communication accessible, making online access accessible and thinking about those who cannot access the internet or our physical buildings all need to be included. 

Please do share your thoughts and links to useful information or research.  I’m interested in turning this blog into a more accessible website but have no technical skills to do this – so if that is on your heart and you do have those skills (or know someone who does) please do get in touch.