For children and young people with a range of additional needs — including Autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorders/differences, or developmental delays — behaviour is often the most reliable tool they have to communicate a need that their words cannot express.
And there is so much more that Jesus teaches us through these encounters and all of his ministry on Earth. The Gospels are rich with these learnings, if only we look for them. Explore them more, read them as if for the first time and see what God reveals to you through them.
James did really well, in part because we had listened to him and recognised and respected his wishes. He felt heard. He felt cared for and loved. And he was filled with joy.
Do you know someone, whether a child/young person or adult, who is blind or partially sighted? How could you help them to encounter Jesus, grow in their Christian faith and thrive in Christian community?
Jesus noticed her: Disabled people can often become ‘anonymous’, ‘ignored’, ‘overlooked’, maybe even ‘invisible’. I wonder how many other people saw her and looked away, hoping they didn’t catch her eye. Jesus didn’t, Jesus noticed her. Do we sometimes ignore a disabled person in our community, avoiding their look?
As we were making cookies today, I noticed something for the first time about the way that James added the colourful rainbow chocolate buttons on top of the pressed out cookie shapes... it got me thinking about how wonderfully inclusive he was being... Here's four things I noticed...
These road-trips are important to keep James connected with the outside world. He would lose touch with so much that we all take for granted without them. As we approach the summer holidays and there is more time available, we hope to support James to increase the number of road-trips we can go on during the week. As his confidence grows, we hope to hear him saying that he is “Appy!” more and more!
There are theories that suggest that the Biblical character Isaac, son of Abraham and Sarah, may have been disabled. That one of the most well-known characters of the Old Testament, through whom God delivered the great Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 15:4-5), and who was an ancestor of Jesus, might have had additional needs, is really significant.
This is a question that is a hot topic at the moment, I get asked about it all the time, but what is the answer? Are there many more Autistic children and young people now that a few years ago, or is there another explanation for the changing data?
Reposted with kind permission of the author, Alison Morley
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An additional needs Dad and Son baking adventure...
Special Education Teaching Resources, Sensory Stories and SEND Information
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