Understanding Prayer and Faith for Autistics

 

Fr. Matthew Schneider, LC was diagnosed as an autistic after he was ordained a priest. In God Loves the Autistic Mind: Prayer Guide for Those on the Spectrum and Those Who Love Us, he explores some of the challenges that autistics may face in their relationship with God. While he does touch on some of the issues facing autistics who are non-verbal, this book is primarily geared to high-functioning autistics (also known as Level 1 autistics or those with Asperger’s Syndrome).

There is a common adage in autistic circles that if you have met one autistic, you’ve met one autistic. Those on the autism spectrum are not all the same. While they may share some common characteristics, autistic brains are quite diverse. Fr. Schneider encourages those reading this book to use what applies and disregard what doesn’t.

As. Fr. Schneider points out, autistics often feel like outsiders in the Church. They are nearly twice as likely not to attend church and more likely to be atheists or agnostics. His stated goal in writing God Loves the Autistic Mind is “to help my fellow autistic Christians and their families pray better.” I come to this book as the mother of a young-adult autistic (diagnosed at age nine), who unfortunately falls in that category of having left the Church.

This book is divided into two different sections. It could have been two different, albeit related, books. The first part focuses on what makes autistic prayer different from neurotypical prayer. Autistics often take comfort in repetition and familiarity. Short, repeated prayers can sometimes serve as a stim, a repeated action that helps calm an autistic. Fr. Schneider also encourages autistics to stim during prayer if it helps them to pray better. Mass, on the other hand, can sometimes cause stress due to the sensory overload. Fr. Schneider suggests autistics can consider going to Mass to be part of their cross to offer up.

He also offers a guide to mental prayer. He explains that prayer does not need to use words, a benefit for autistics who may struggle with communication. Prayer is ultimately about a personal encounter with God.

A difficult section of this first part of the book deals with myths about autism and prayer. Fr. Schneider points out how some in the Church have wrongly thought autism is caused by demons or sin. Many have tried to “cure” autism. Fr. Schneider, like most autistics, maintains “that autism is part of who we are, part of our personality; thus curing our autism would mean that we would become someone else.” I would hesitate to give this portion of the book to autistics because I feel it would add to their sense of rejection and alienation. Why would they want to belong to a Church whose members think such things about them?

The second part of this book is a devotional with 52 meditations designed for autistics to help them realize how much God loves them. As Fr. Schneider states, “Even our autistic aspects are made in God’s image and likeness. God looks on our autistic brain with love.” This section of the book is extremely well done. I wish that it was a separate book because this section is beautiful; it would be wonderful to have it available to give to autistics as its own work.

The end of the book has a useful guide to the Sacrament of Reconciliation for both autistics and the priests hearing their confessions.

Autistics are an underserved segment of the Church community. Fr. Schneider believes the best wants to reach autistics who have left the Church is by having other autistics reach out to them and evangelize to them. God Loves the Autistic Mind is his attempt to do that. I encourage other mothers of autistics to read this book to get a better understanding of how to encourage their children’s prayer lives and to share the parts they feel are appropriate with their children. This book should also be read by those who minister to autistics in the Church.

Open Book for June 2022

 

I'm joining up with Carolyn Astfalk who hosts an #OpenBook Linkup on CatholicMom.com. Here's what I've been reading this past month. The dates indicate when I finished the book. I've been super busy this month with work and life and household / outside projects so reading has been taking a back seat and the list is shorter than usual. Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 

5/4/22 Off the Chain: Gone with the Dogs, Book 1 - Janice Thompson - This is the start of a new series centered on Mari, a vet tech, who dreams of opening a rescue shelter for dogs. This book has a bit of everything - humor, romance, mystery. As the first book in the series it was trying to introduce a lot of characters and plot lines, but it was fun to read. (Read for a book review publication). 

 

 5/15/22 The Last Garden in England - Julia Kelly - Fans of Downton Abbey (as I am) will love this story centered on a garden at an English estate. It is a triple timeline story featuring three women: the garden designer in 1907, a land girl in WWII, and a modern garden designer trying to restore the garden to its original glory in 2021. I really enjoyed it!

5/22/22 Better Together - Pam Barnhill - I really enjoy Pam Barnhill's homeschooling site. This book discusses Morning Time, a way to start your homeschool day in a peaceful manner. The goal is to review it for my homeschool site, which hopefully I will have time to do soon. If you homeschool, I highly recommend this book. 

5/29/22 Wired for Love - Stephanie Cacioppo - I always enjoy books about neuroscience. In this one, Dr. Cacioppo (an expert in the science of love) discusses what happens in our brain when we love someone in a romantic way. She also shares her unlikely tale of romance (with a fellow doctor who studied loneliness) and the process of grieving she went through when he died of cancer. In some ways, this book holds up the ideal (much like Theology of the Body which also gives me pause), and real life is often messier. But, the science is interesting and the author's experience of grief is truly heartfelt. It made for an interesting read.

Since spring of 2019, I have been making my way through the Great Books Curriculum of Thomas Aquinas College (I'm currently working on the readings for sophomore year). 

5/15/22 Conic Sections - Apollonius - I trudged through this math text about conic sections, parabolas, etc. Apollonius lived from 15 - 100 AD and was a wandering Greek philosopher.

 

My eleven-year-old daughter and I read the following book this month:

  

The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens - This is the second in the fantasy / adventure series about the Books of Beginning. My daughter and I have both been enjoying this series.

 

 

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Joyful Encounters with Mary

 

Women who want to dig deeper into the meaning of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary will benefit from Maria V. Gallagher’s new book, Joyful Encounters with Mary: A Woman’s Guide to Living the Mysteries of the Rosary. Gallagher’s goal in writing it was to help us see Mary’s hand in our daily struggles and achievements so that we might “experience a powerful relationship with her.” Cultivating a deep relationship with Mary does not serve to take us away from Jesus but rather also deepens and enhances our relationship with him. Mary “can help us to become better servants of God.”

The five Joyful Mysteries are: The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Birth of Jesus, The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple, and The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple. Each mystery is covered in four chapters. The first offers a personal reflection by Gallagher which includes stories from her own life. The second is a reflection on the mystery itself, examining the Scripture and considering how Mary might have felt. The third chapter of each mystery encourages readers to grow in virtue based on the fruit of that particular mystery. The fourth chapter introduces readers to a saint who exemplified the virtue of that mystery. Each chapter concludes with reflection questions which are great for personal or group use.

In the conclusion, Gallagher emphasizes:

By contemplating the Joyful Mysteries and how they relate to our lives, we can grow in the joy of Jesus, who is the Bridge to our ultimate happiness. We reflect on the way God weaved a tapestry of hope in the lives of Mary and Jesus, through the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the Presentation, and the Finding of the Lord Jesus in the Temple. That hope can bear good fruit in our own lives.

Joyful Encounters with Mary: A Woman’s Guide to Living the Mysteries of the Rosary invites readers into a deeper relationship with Mary and provides the opportunity to reflect more deeply on these mysteries of the Rosary.

 

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Open Book - May 2022

 

I'm joining up with Carolyn Astfalk who hosts an #OpenBook Linkup on CatholicMom.com. Here's what I've been reading this past month. The dates indicate when I finished the book.

 

4/4/22 From the Writings of Edith Stein - Compiled by Dianne M. Traflet. This short work offers a brief bio of St. Edith Stein (Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) along with excerpts from her writings loosely gathered by subject topic, such as Spiritual Friendship, The Vocation of Women, Suffering and the Cross, and Spiritual Tools for Evangelization. This book made me want to learn more about this modern saint (she died in Auschwitz in WWII) and so I have requested more books about her from the library. (Read for Catholic Library World)

4/6/22 Love in the Library - Maggie Tokuda-Hall. I read this picture book on my own, and then shared it with my daughter. It is based on the lives of the author's grandparents, Tama and George, and tells how they met, fell in love, and married at the Japanese internment camp Manidoka. It is a beautiful story of finding hope and love in the midst of miserable circumstances. It is also a good way to introduce children to the historical fact of the Japanese internment camps, because it is only through knowing about such horrible events of our past that we can hope not to repeat them.  

4/10/22 Trauma: The Invisible Epidemic - Paul Conti, MD. I've read a great deal on trauma in the past decade, and this book provides a good overview of all the ways trauma can impact a person's life. In recent years, the medical / psychological community has realized how much trauma can influence both the mind and body. As I was reading this, though, I realized two things. One is that we all experience trauma in some way. Some experience more and some experience less and we should certainly do all we can to not cause other people trauma, but ultimately, traumatic things are going to happen. Second, the reason that there is trauma in the world is because of sin. Trauma is a socially acceptable way to talk about the damage caused by sin. We live in a fallen world. We make poor choices. Therefore, these bad things happen. Dr. Conti is not anti-faith at all and seems like he does truly try to help people. Medical and psychological professionals can certainly help with healing from trauma, but ultimately God is also needed for true healing to take place.

4/10/22 - Between Friends - Debbie Macomber - I don't recall where I saw this one mentioned, but it is an older novel by Debbie Macomber (2002). I've read several of her books over the years and thought I'd give it a try. It is the story of two baby boomers and follows their friendship from their childhood in the 50s through 2002. It is told in a series of letters and is a remarkable tribute to friendship that survives despite all of life's changes. The two young girls are Catholic and attend Catholic school, but they both ultimately leave the Church for various reasons. Still, the topic of faith and their reasons for leaving are handled well and no doubt portray the lived experience of many baby boomers. This was a very good story that kept me turning pages.  

 

4/14/22 - Flying Solo - Linda Holmes - Laurie Sassalyn, on the cusp of turning 40, returns to her hometown to clean out her much-loved single great-aunt's house after her death. While doing so, she finds a carved wood duck which may or may not have been made by a famous artist. Laurie also connects with a long-lost love while in town. Part mystery / part romance, this was a fun leisure read. It does feature some pre-marital sex but nothing explicit.  (Read for a book review publication)

4/17/22 - The Great Passion - James Runcie - The "Great Passion" referred to in the title of this book is Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" composed in 1727. The story is told from the perspective of Stefan Silbermann, a thirteen-year-old boy who is sent to school in Leipzig after the death of his much-loved mother. Stefan becomes a favored student of Bach and a close friend of his family. I don't know much about music, but I still enjoyed this work of historical fiction. Runcie's prose made the music and the world of the early 1700s come to life.  

4/22/2022 A Saint in the Family - Corinna Turner - This book is part of the "I Am Margaret" series which is an excellent dystopian series by an incredible writer. This particular book is a collection of short stories and novellas that tie in with the other books in the series. It was interesting and well-written, but if you want to read this one, I suggest going back to the other books first and making the way through them in order.  

4/25/22 The Magnolia Palace - Fiona Davis - This dual-timeline story is set in both 1919 and 1966 at the Frick Mansion in New York which later became a museum. In the earlier story, Lilian Carter is a former model on the run who ends up taking a job as a personal assistant to Helen Frick and gets embroiled in family dynamics. In 1966, Veronica Weber is a wannabe model who gets locked in the Frick Museum with an intern, Joshua, during a snowstorm. They find a long-forgotten scavenger hunt and in the process help solve a 50-year old mystery. While the story is not based on any real historical facts (although Helen Frick was a real person), it was a fun read. 

 

4/26/22 Awaken My Heart Prayer Journal - Emily Wilson Hussem - Hussem offers journaling prompts on a variety of important topics. These are not superficial questions, but rather queries that will have you digging deep into your spiritual life. Some of your answers may surprise you. Some of them will no doubt make you feel a bit uncomfortable as you probe painful parts of your past or face the ways that you may be coming up short in your love of God and neighbor. Others may inspire you to keep going when you feel like giving up. At all times, readers are prompted to invite Jesus into their lives, into their reflections, and into their futures. 

 

4/30/22 Edith Stein: Her Life in Photos and Documents - Maria Amata Neyer, O.C.D., Trans. by Waltraut Stein, Ph.D. - My reading this month started with St. Edith Stein and it ended with her. This is one of the books I got from the library about her. It is a short biography and offers pictures of her, her family, and the places where she lived.

Since spring of 2019, I have been making my way through the Great Books Curriculum of Thomas Aquinas College (I'm currently working on the readings for sophomore year). 

Conic Sections - Apollonius - I've been trudging through this math text which, as the same suggests, is about conic sections, parabolas, etc. Apollonius lived from 15 - 100 AD and was a wandering Greek philosopher. The math texts are the hardest part of these readings for me. There is hope, though. Once I finish this one, there is only one more math text for sophomore year before I get to move on to other, more interesting, reading. 

 

My eleven-year-old daughter and I read the following books this month:

 

 

4-17-22 The Emerald Atlas - John Stephens - This first book in a trilogy was a fun adventure / fantasy story about three siblings who must find the three "Books of Beginning". It was full of magical creatures and time travel. We are looking forward to reading the next book in the series. 

4/24/22 The Power of Poppy Pendle - Natasha Lowe - This was an interesting story about a witch who wants to be a baker. It does have some dark undertones, but all turns out well in the end.

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