Caring for Autistic Children in Church
How can church leaders make church welcoming and accessible for autistic children and their families?
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In this episode, Phil Topham (Executive Director) is joined by Sophie Killingley (Send Evangelical Church) to talk about her experience as the mother of autistic children and serving in ministry as the wife of a pastor.
00:00 - Introduction
02:28 - Terminology of autism
05:26 - The impact of having autistic children on church ministry
08:57 - How can the church serve autistic children?
14:06 - Breaking down barriers
18:53 - Welcoming visitors with autistic children
21:41 - Autistic children in youth and children's work
24:13 - pitfalls to avoid
29:13 - Normalising autistic behaviour in church
Resources mentioned in this episode
- The Life You Never Expected, Andrew and Rachel Wilson (thegoodbookcompany.co.uk, 10ofthose.co.uk)
- On the Spectrum, Daniel Bowman Jr (danielbowmanjr.com)
In:Dependence is FIEC’s official podcast, where you’ll hear teaching and resources for church leaders from the FIEC Ministry Team and guests from FIEC churches and partners.
You can subscribe by searching for “In:Dependence” on your favourite podcast app or by subscribing to the FIEC YouTube channel.
Phil Topham
Phil is FIEC's Executive Director. He is married to Kath and they live near Market Harborough and attend ChristChurch in the town.
Sophie Killingley
Sophie is a free-lance artist specialising in lettering and cartooning. She lives in Surrey with her pastor husband, two children who are both autistic, and their cat Major Tom.
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