Inclusion Of A Typical Children In Churches

What defines an A Typical child?
A child who may be experiencing ADD, ADHD, Mental Disorders including Bipolar, Autism, Emotional Disorders, etc.

An A Typical child is more than twice as likely to never step foot into a church as a neurotypical child.

In one study, more than half of special needs parents reported that their child with a disability had been excluded from church

Almost 1/3 (32.3%) of special needs families said they had left at least one church because their child was not included or welcomed.

Nearly 50% (46.6%) of special needs parents said they refrained from participating in a religious activity because their child was not included or welcomed.

More than half of special needs parents reported that they had kept their child from participating in a religious activity because support was not provided (55.8%) or had been expected to stay with their child at a religious activity so their child could participate (55.3%).

"It can be a discouraging place to try and find a way to make church make sense. Loud noises, lots of moving people, flashing lights, rotation of volunteers, and kid-to-kid interaction can all seem daunting. Where there is a will there is a way. Let leadership know you are there, ask and ask again, if discouraged keep trying new church homes. " This is what we share with parents so if you can not be the solution help them get connected with a body that does have resources for kids with special needs or A Typical behaviors. Don't leave them high and dry with "we are equipped to handle that here."

Have a printed one-page option for a child plan available. (I have provided a copy below) This should include:

1. Child's Name
2. Child's  NickName (sometimes kids with autism love to be referred to only as Batman and so forth)
3. Age Of Emotional Intelligence (a child might be 14 but have an emotional intelligence of a 7-year-old)
4. Age Of Intellectual Intelligence (a child might be emotionally immature but is brilliant at comprehension)
5. Sensory restrictions (sounds, smells, textures, visuals)
6. Transitional Restrictions (some children may have a difficult time focusing, finishing a project on time, moving from one center to another, etc)
7. Food Restrictions (some children have a limited diet, and most parents provide an alternative snack in these cases but the church can have something if the family is long-term as well)
8. Behavior Ticks (some children can rock back and forth, make sounds, need to stand often, break pencils, etc.)
9. Transition Buddies (sometimes a child might use tension putty, a stuffed animal, pop its, stress ball, etc. These items can help with staying focused so do not take away even if it may seem distracting. Taking this away may result in a prompted meltdown. 
10. A box to fill in any additional helpful cues that parents can help in assisting you with communicating and assisting their child.

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I highly recommend personally calling the family on Monday after service and asking how it went, asking if there is anything additional they could do to best serve their child, and encouraging them to come back. The more consistent the child is in the environment the easier transitions will be. They will be more familiar in the future but have consistent positive attitudes.

Things churches can implement to help encourage special needs families to attend their church:

1. Offer a visual schedule. This helps the child know when study time is, worship time, snack time, and so forth
2. Always prompt transitions. For example "In 5 minutes we are going to put our colors away." "In 2 minutes we are going to put our colors away and get our snack." "We are not going to put our colors away and eat snacks."
3. Provide parents with a printed "meltdown" plan. This will ease them in knowing how you will manage an outburst and at what point mom and dad will be contacted.
4. Allow brain breaks or wiggle breaks throughout study time.

Isaiah 42:16
And I will lead the blind
in a way that they do not know,
in paths that they have not known
I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I do,
and I do not forsake them.

Proverbs 31:8-9
Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

John 9:1-3
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

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