Much has been going on these past months and I have not posted about autism or autism-related issues. That is certainly not because these are no longer important, or important to me. With all that has been going on with the threat of ISIS, worldwide terrorism, and the ever-increasing loss of a moral compass in the US, I have not focused on autism or aut ism-related issues. But I have remained fully aware of the raging, heated debate in the vaccine controversy, the alarmingly high rate of missing autistic person cases related to wandering, and the hostility to certain organizations for what is seen as their patronizing attitude toward the autism community. Now there is an massive tragedy of historic significance in the country of Nepal that claims an ever-rising death toll of an estimated 4,000. With things like this, it makes what we may face here in the West, especially in the US, minor. I'm talking about objectively speaking, as everyone's own problems feels like the worst problems in the world. I'm not one who likes to throw around the platitude, "People have worse problems than you; count your blessings." Everyone's own life journey is unique.
Is Autism Man-Made?
The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with its variants (Asperger's Syndrome, Pervasive Development Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Nonverbal Autism, and so on) have only been in existence for several decades. Where were people on any end of the autism spectrum at before the diagnosis of ASD was created? They had to be around somewhere; it can't be that all of these people suddenly popped up out of nowhere with the official diagnosis. Back in the 1930's the diagnosis of severe, nonverbal autism did exist but autism was not yet seen as a broad spectrum and those so diagnosed were seen as facing bleak futures. They were sometimes called "changelings" and the condition was called "early infantile autism." There who see autism as a "disease" that only appeared on the scene due to vaccine injuries, see autism as something that has been with us only since the diagnosis of ASD was created. Then there are others of us who see autism not as an alien "disease" but as a neuro-biological condition that has always been with which has only recently been recognized for what it is. Can both sides actually be right or is only one of the sides right? While I know that the vaccine controversy is a very emotional, hot-button issue, studies are indicating that vaccines do not "cause autism." It used to be believed that this was so, but now the cause of autism remains unknown. In that case, then maybe autistic people have always been with us and have just been called other things. In fact, most of them either existed in restrictive settings like institutions or were sent to "special classes" and tightly controlled at home, believing their primary need was physical protection. In my own experience, my own daughter, now 15 and finishing up 9th grade in high school, was originally diagnosed as having "Pervasive Development Disorder" and her diagnosis was switched to "autism spectrum disorder." She is doing very well in school, making good grades and her teachers love her. In my case, when I was growing up, I was labeled many things, and my problems were considered either psychiatric or behavioral in origin. After decades of having no idea "what was wrong with me," I was never able to access as formal diagnosis as an adult until two years ago. The diagnosis came too late to do me any practical good. It only gives an explanation for many of my issues that were blamed on "emotional problems."
Is Autism in the Bible?
I don't know if you read the Bible or not or count yourself a follower of Jesus or not. It is true that there is absolutely nothing in the Bible about autism. But then, the Bible was set in another time and in another culture. It does not contain a word about many other things that we consider important today, because many scientific discoveries had not been made yet. For that matter, cancer was not a diagnosis. The closest I can get is in the New Testament when Jesus healed many people, including those who were considered demon-possessed. While I believe that demon possession is real and probably exists today, I wonder if any of those people counted as "demon-possessed," could have had unknown and undiagnosed conditions like autism, epilepsy, or certain mental illnesses. Though the Bible says nothing about many things we deal with today, including scientific discoveries, it is still relevant to these matters if you believe that God is the Creator of all and the ultimate Author Who inspired men to write the Bible. Of course, if you do not believe these things, there is nothing I can say to convince you otherwise. But it makes little sense to me that autism just showed up on the scene a few decades ago and soon will be "cured" when the cause of this "disease" is found. While I sympathize fully with those who have had negative, painful experiences with being autistic or loving someone who is autistic, I think this "cure" position is a mistaken one.
Following Jesus, the Church & Autism
What are the ramifications for autism and the Christian community? Can autistic people be found in local church fellowships? How do they see God and their place in the Christian community? In my experience, the few autistic people who have been reached and are part of local church fellowships, are those with more severe, nonverbal autism. Many families with autistic loved ones, like many people with other disabilities, simply do not feel welcome in our church fellowships. Usually this is not because of malice but because Pastors and church leaderships do not know how to set up their fellowships to welcome disabled individuals, much less assimilate them into the life of their congregations. I have seldom seen it happen; there are very few books on the Christian market about autism or other disabilities. The rare ones that exist are never written directly to disabled individuals, but to church fellowships or to parents. I know that this is not the fault of Christian retailers but it shows how the Christian community has neglected those with autism and other related disabilities. I know that Joni Earackson Tada, totally paralyzed and an outstanding Christian leader in the field of disabilities, has done much to bring awareness to severe and physical disabilities. She has touched countless lives in that community. But much still needs to be done to reach and welcome those with autism and other, related, invisible disabilities. What does all this tell those of us who love people with autism or related disabilities, or who live with these ourselves? Nothing good. I see very few autistic teens or adults in the Christian community. They do not feel welcome. They are aware that the Church values non-autistic behaviors like eye contact and social interaction and know that these are considered very important in the lives that the Church and in the teachings of Jesus. And so the autism community is largely unreached and even those who love and follow Jesus do not want to do so within the context of local church fellowships. If you read the Bible, especially the New Testament, you find no verses that command us to "go to church." It is true that followers of Jesus are to meet with each other, worship together and serve God together. This does not mean that we always need building to meet, for meeting can be done anywhere. In any case, autistic people seem to generally feel like outcasts and outsiders to the Church and often sympathize with the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual,Transgender) community. I have often seen this. It is unfortunate. If you read your Bible, you read in the Goepels that Jesus hang around with misfits and outcasts, not just to welcome them but to call them to repentance and to lives of blessedness. If you are a member of the autism or larger disability community, I encourage you to get a Bible and start with the Gospel of Luke, to see how Jesus dealt with people.
Please sign my autism petition at Change.org.
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