Autism
National Catholic Partnership with Disabilities (NCPD)
Autism Task Force Update
We are happy to announce that during the November NCPD Governance
Board meeting they authorized the Autism Task Force (ATF) to
continue work for another year under the Education Committee.
Many of the recommendations made to the Board by the ATF were
approved for action by the task force. Others will be taken on
by other entities within the organizational structure. We want
to thank all on the ATF for their very hard work this year.
For more resources, click here. Some of the featured resources for the month are below:
- Bulletin Announcement
- Prayers of the Faithful
- Fact Sheet
-
Prayer for People with Autism
and their Families
What Is Autism?
Autism is usually referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Autism receives a lot of media attention, because the number of children diagnosed with ASD has increased from 1 in 2000 in 1980 to 1 in 150 in 2007.* It is a developmental disorder that impacts an individual’s ability to effectively communicate and understand social behavior.
Seventy percent of the children with ASD have serious communication issues, while thirty percent are high functioning and have few problems with language. Many are sensitive to noise, light, touch, smells, and crowds, etc. To understand more about autism firsthand, listen to Andrew Haley talk about what he and his two brothers face each and every day.
Further, hear Andrew’s mother, Chris Powers, answer questions about her three sons with autism and their faith formation at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Tappahannock.
Our parishes are working to include students with disabilities. See a mother's story about her daughter with autism and their faith journey, A Place to Call Home. Also, see the Wall Street Journal article, Making God More Accessible, which mentions Father Joe Metzgar and how he prepared this same young girl with autism for her First Eucharist.
Children with autism can learn about God by participation in their faith communities and through a faith lived out in their homes. The Diocese of Richmond has materials for bringing the faith to students with autism. These materials include templates for making a book personalized for each student with autism. The templates include Going To Mass, Reconciliation, and This Is My Church and were created by the Diocese of Allentown. For information on materials please contact Nita Grignol by email at: ngrignol@richmonddiocese.org
To view additional materials on autism from the National Partnership on Disabilities go to: http://www.ncpd.org/ministries-programs/specific/autism.
*
http://www.cdc.gov/features/countingautism/