Free at last to share their thoughts

“My friend Andrew is a thoughtful and articulate man,” says Monica Carsience, a member of Northview Community Church in Abbotsford, B.C., who wanted to introduce this remarkable young man to us.

Andrew also lives with severe autism. He doesn’t speak and cannot rely on facial expressions or gestures. But he communicates in many ways. He uses sign language and something called “facilitated communication” to share thoughts and emotions so often locked inside.

FC is a form of typing on a letter board or keyboard, and is done with the help of another person providing upward pressure under the hand of the person typing. A person with autism has much greater accuracy working against this pressure and can communicate more clearly. The typed words are then shared aloud via voice synthesizers.

Using facilitated communication, Andrew recently had a conversation about spirituality with other members of a group called Bridges Over Barriers in Guelph, Ont. that meets regularly for support, ideas, and community. The following are some of their thoughts about God and their experience of attending church.

Tim: The topic is spirituality.

Kevin: Spirituality is . . . faith in life eternal and in a caring and loving God who never leaves me, even when I’m addicted and weak and suffering.

John K: I think my spirituality is everything now that I can express myself better. I thought about it before, but couldn’t say anything to anyone about it.

Questions: Do you go to church? What is good or hard about church? How could church be better for people with conditions that make communication difficult?

Ken: Church is peaceful and calm. I like the music very much. Church is hard when people feel afraid of me and don’t sit with me. People should pray before they come to church so they won’t be afraid of me.

Tim: I think they should be welcoming in their hearts and heads.

John M-D: John hears the good choir. John hears the people of God.

Andrew: Church can be hard for my system with all the noise and busyness. It’s hard to feel it with all the people, . . . but it’s good to be in a spiritual place. Prayers sometimes touch me, but sometimes I don’t hear them and don’t get it. I get it when only one person is speaking or reading. I like a good sermon best.

Kevin: We want to be recognized as intelligent, sensitive, and spiritual people who love God and others. We want to be accepted in a faith community where we can be involved and needed.

Andrew: I think it helps if people listen more. I want church friends who will smile to me and say hello and sit with me sometimes. I could try to stay for the snack at church afterwards, but I would bring my own water and snack. I want to invite some new church friends to my home for tea and a board game or a walk, so they understand more about what it’s like to be me and how they can help.

For more information about the Bridges Over Barriers group and how they’re conquering obstacles to communication, acceptance, and worship, see Bridges Over Barriers.