Telling a "mentally disabled" autistic teenager about Jesus

[RaymondG]

No, it's demeaning regardless which is why the medical community stopped using it. Language changes over time. For example, f*g was once a bundle of sticks or a cigarette rather than a slur for homosexuals.

The truth is....this is just a group of 8 letters that form a sound. You have decided that, when you hear this sound, that you will feel a negative emotion. After years of this teaching and belief.....a trigger is formed.......so you dont have to go through the thought process anymore....your subconscious knows to trigger this emotion whenever this sound is heard by another voice...or the voice in your head.

One solution to stop this cycle would be to stop the world from saying and writing this group of 8 letters.

A better solution would be to remove the trigger.....or if thine eye offend thee....pluck it out. This way, you take control of your heart and mind and ownership of your own emotions. no longer being able to say that what someone else wrote or says....offend you....

 

[FireDragon76]

I don't think its a good idea for you to be giving him religious instruction. People with more severe forms of autism have trouble understanding abstract concepts, since autistic people tend to perceive the world in a concrete, unmediated fashion. Christianity, especially western Christianity, is full of abstractions. Depending on how you talk about your religious beliefs, it may go completely over his head, and it might be incomprehensible to him or even upset him.

There are some people who are autistic that are religious, but most are not, and have no interest in religion, except perhaps as a curiosity, like train spotting. Temple Grandin, an animal behaviorist who is high functioning, is an Episcopalian, but if you study her life (there is actually a movie about her), it's obvious her approach to God is unique, and quite possibly also more profound than what most Christians could understand. People with autism can understand rituals and structured living, but they may not be able to always be conventionally religious.

 

[*LILAC]

I have a non-verbal, autistic nephew who is literally diagnosed as mentally retarded. He is 15 years old and very sweet. He lives in a very non-christian household. My brother's mom, however is Christian and takes my nieces to church sometimes. The youngest believes in Jesus despite her anti-christian dad (praise God.) I am going to be a personal support worker for my autistic nephew this summer. He does understand language and will follow commands (if he's not being stubborn) but it's hard to tell how much he understands. I don't know how abstract of a thought he can understand. Like death for example. There's really no way to tell if he could understand the concept of death. Nevertheless, since I don't know just how much he understands, and I'll be taking him out away from his dad, I think it would be a good idea to try and tell him about Jesus. I don't really know if he'll even pay attention or not, especially if he's not understanding what I'm saying, but I think it certainly couldn't hurt to try. I'm just wondering how to go about it. Should I just sit him down and tell him the gospel? Should I get a children's Bible and read it to him? Should I put a Christian radio station on in the car when I'm driving with him? Should I just chat to him casually about what God is doing in my life? I don't want to scare him. I don't want to be like, you're going to die someday and end up in either heaven or hell. If he does understand death in some way, I don't know where his mentality is at. I guess I'll get more information about what age is brain is at before I start working with him. I know we teach young children about Jesus, but probably glaze over the death part until they are old enough to accept it. I don't know. Any opinions on how to approach this? I think just because he is "mentally challenged" and autistic doesn't mean he shouldn't learn about Jesus.

YES. If you feel led to do those things that will encourage the gospel to him, then YES, do it. Even if you don't know if he's absorbing it or not, do it anyway. I've done this with my own autistic son and yes, he does understand. Music, books, talking about Jesus... particularly talk about how Jesus HEALS and the miracles He performed. Jesus is definitely healing my autistic son and it has been an amazing journey!

I know somebody who's official medical diagnosis is simply "mental retardation". That is it. The parents and doctors know that term can come off as offensive but it is what it is. What bugs ME is when people say retarded but say stupid is offensive. Shake my head and walk away! lol

 

[Porpoise]

Maybe try to find out what kinds of things he does understand. For instance, does he understand friendship? Does he like superhero movies? Does he understand that we can talk to someone on the phone without their physical presence? People with autism usually have certain interests that are really intense. For instance, they might be really into trains. If you can figure out what he understands and what he likes, you might be able to use these things as building blocks to communicate. And maybe take it slow, don't go into lectures, but show him the most concrete things, like a hug.

 

[FireDragon76]

This isn't her son, it's her nephew. It's primarily a parent's job to give religious instruction if they feel it is necessary. At the very least, its something that should be discussed with his parents.

 

[*LILAC]

It's sad when "permission" should be acquired to talk anything about the gospel. If this aunt feels LED to teach even a little bit, it isn't going to hurt anyone. Maybe it's the seed needed to get folks in the right direction. We need more people willing to teach the gospel. I say go for it.

 

[RaymondG]

There are many "Gospels" out there.....some with made up names like "prosperity gospel" and "poverty Gospel." Some may agree with one or neither of the two gospels i just mentioned. Those who preach them or any other gospel, would say there is only one gospel...and what they speak is that one.

I find it wise for the parents to desire to hear this gospel and decided whether or not it is the true gospel and if their children should hear it.

Those who disagree must also be ok with Muslims preaching their gospel to their children without permission.......as for them, there is only one true gospel as well....

 

[FireDragon76]

It's sad when "permission" should be acquired to talk anything about the gospel. If this aunt feels LED to teach even a little bit, it isn't going to hurt anyone. Maybe it's the seed needed to get folks in the right direction. We need more people willing to teach the gospel. I say go for it.

Honoring father and mother isn't a trivial issue, it's one of God's commandments. How can you be faithful to God by breaking a commandment? There's a reason at church we desire sponsors at baptism, the faith is not so individualistic and atomistic.

The danger is that an autistic child might be frightened or confused, a great deal of harm could be done. Tread with care, because they don't perceive the world the way you do, nor can they communicate with you on an equal playing field.

If anything, I would reverse this situation and ask, what can the autistic nephew teach you about God? Many Christians have the wrong idea, they think they are the privileged ones merely because they are able bodied, communicative, etc., that they must have something to offer the disabled, instead of letting God teach us through them. This is what the priest Henri Nouwen learned working with developmentally disabled people for decades.

 

[MariaJLM]

The truth is....this is just a group of 8 letters that form a sound. You have decided that, when you hear this sound, that you will feel a negative emotion. After years of this teaching and belief.....a trigger is formed.......so you dont have to go through the thought process anymore....your subconscious knows to trigger this emotion whenever this sound is heard by another voice...or the voice in your head.

One solution to stop this cycle would be to stop the world from saying and writing this group of 8 letters.

A better solution would be to remove the trigger.....or if thine eye offend thee....pluck it out. This way, you take control of your heart and mind and ownership of your own emotions. no longer being able to say that what someone else wrote or says....offend you....

No, because words have meaning. I'm not trying to be annoying or anything. I'm simply pointing out that the word that was initially used in this thread is offensive to a lot of people. It would be like directing the n word at a black person.

 

[*LILAC]

Honoring father and mother isn't a trivial issue, it's one of God's commandments. How can you be faithful to God by breaking a commandment? There's a reason at church we desire sponsors at baptism, the faith is not so individualistic and atomistic.

The danger is that an autistic child might be frightened or confused, a great deal of harm could be done. Tread with care, because they don't perceive the world the way you do, nor can they communicate with you on an equal playing field.

If anything, I would reverse this situation and ask, what can the autistic nephew teach you about God? Many Christians have the wrong idea, they think they are the privileged ones merely because they are able bodied, communicative, etc., that they must have something to offer the disabled, instead of letting God teach us through them. This is what the priest Henri Nouwen learned working with developmentally disabled people for decades.

I highly doubt that the child would be "confused" as you say. I have an autistic son, know several autistics myself and they pick up and perceive BETTER than you and I. I don't know where you get the idea thinking it's going to scare them.

 

[FireDragon76]

I highly doubt that the child would be "confused" as you say. I have an autistic son, know several autistics myself and they pick up and perceive BETTER than you and I. I don't know where you get the idea thinking it's going to scare them.

I actually have adult autism, myself, and was very involved in autism self advocacy for a while. I even met with a man that was working with president Barak Obama on an initiative.

Religion can scare autistic kids because they can take the imagery very literally and as I said, they do not necessarily understand abstract concepts. It's too hard to say what the results would be, mostly because I know very little about what the OP intends to tell their nephew. I suppose the most likely outcome is just that the person will be not taken seriously, being asked to believe in an invisible person is alot for the average autistic person. If threats are attached to that, that could be very damaging, as it could associate authority figures with being untrustworthy.

 

[*LILAC]

I actually have adult autism, myself, and was very involved in autism self advocacy for a while. I even met with a man that was working with president Barak Obama on an initiative.

Religion can scare autistic kids because they can take the imagery very literally and as I said, they do not necessarily understand abstract concepts. It's too hard to say what the results would be, mostly because I know very little about what the OP intends to tell their nephew. I suppose the most likely outcome is just that the person will be not taken seriously, being asked to believe in an invisible person is alot for the average autistic person. If threats are attached to that, that could be very damaging, as it could associate authority figures with being untrustworthy.

Yet, talking of Jesus can give them a sense of freedom. Jesus is not a "religion". He is a healer, miracle worker and can give great sense of peace rather than fear. I'm not sure why you're saying it could be scary. Do you think autism is demonic? The enemy creates fear. The enemy WILL give you a sense of fear. Not Jesus.

 

[RaymondG]

Yet, talking of Jesus can give them a sense of freedom. Jesus is not a "religion". He is a healer, miracle worker and can give great sense of peace rather than fear. I'm not sure why you're saying it could be scary. Do you think autism is demonic? The enemy creates fear. The enemy WILL give you a sense of fear. Not Jesus.

The gospel preached by most scares me....and I am a little more than half normal.

You say Jesus is not a religion......and you assume the op and everyone else believe and would speak the same things as you.....

This is an un wise assumption.

 

[RaymondG]

No, because words have meaning. I'm not trying to be annoying or anything. I'm simply pointing out that the word that was initially used in this thread is offensive to a lot of people. It would be like directing the n word at a black person.

Yes I agree, and this is true for most.....Most people would feel the same as yourself and would react to words heard or read.....This is normal.... My words, however, are not for the normal.....they are for the peculiar.....for the few.

Yes we are taught which words are bad and how we should feel and react to them.....most believe and follow these teachings. But there is a better way. I way in which we can transform ourselves by the renewing of our minds. It is ok to knowing that one means harm when they use certain words....but we are not obligated to feel what we were taught to feel. We can learn to guard our hearts and mind....we can learn to feel nothing in praise and in condemnation. No longer moved by the outside world....but rooted firmly as a tree planted by still waters whose fruits are slowness to get angry and quick to show mercy..... A truth that sets free from the bondage of emotional word triggers....making us free and making it easy to love those that call themselves our enemies...

 

[MariaJLM]

Yes I agree, and this is true for most.....Most people would feel the same as yourself and would react to words heard or read.....This is normal.... My words, however, are not for the normal.....they are for the peculiar.....for the few.

Yes we are taught which words are bad and how we should feel and react to them.....most believe and follow these teachings. But there is a better way. I way in which we can transform ourselves by the renewing of our minds. It is ok to knowing that one means harm when they use certain words....but we are not obligated to feel what we were taught to feel. We can learn to guard our hearts and mind....we can learn to feel nothing in praise and in condemnation. No longer moved by the outside world....but rooted firmly as a tree planted by still waters whose fruits are slowness to get angry and quick to show mercy..... A truth that sets free from the bondage of emotional word triggers....making us free and making it easy to love those that call themselves our enemies...

You must have a pretty good life to not have any trauma or baggage to worry about. You don't know other people well enough to know their life experiences, let alone which sorts of things they have been harmed by so have some consideration.

 

[God saves]

I have a non-verbal, autistic nephew who is literally diagnosed as mentally retarded. He is 15 years old and very sweet. He lives in a very non-christian household. My brother's mom, however is Christian and takes my nieces to church sometimes. The youngest believes in Jesus despite her anti-christian dad (praise God.) I am going to be a personal support worker for my autistic nephew this summer. He does understand language and will follow commands (if he's not being stubborn) but it's hard to tell how much he understands. I don't know how abstract of a thought he can understand. Like death for example. There's really no way to tell if he could understand the concept of death. Nevertheless, since I don't know just how much he understands, and I'll be taking him out away from his dad, I think it would be a good idea to try and tell him about Jesus. I don't really know if he'll even pay attention or not, especially if he's not understanding what I'm saying, but I think it certainly couldn't hurt to try. I'm just wondering how to go about it. Should I just sit him down and tell him the gospel? Should I get a children's Bible and read it to him? Should I put a Christian radio station on in the car when I'm driving with him? Should I just chat to him casually about what God is doing in my life? I don't want to scare him. I don't want to be like, you're going to die someday and end up in either heaven or hell. If he does understand death in some way, I don't know where his mentality is at. I guess I'll get more information about what age is brain is at before I start working with him. I know we teach young children about Jesus, but probably glaze over the death part until they are old enough to accept it. I don't know. Any opinions on how to approach this? I think just because he is "mentally challenged" and autistic doesn't mean he shouldn't learn about Jesus.

Well, since your brother's mom is a Christian and takes your nephew to church sometimes, why wouldn't your nephew be learning about the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ at your brother's mom's local church? If his parents know and permit your brother's mom to take him to church, why would they not know about the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ that this church hopefully preaches?

Personally I don't think it would hurt if someone shared the true gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ with someone who may not hear it otherwise, as long as it is done in God's will and in love, because I believe that the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ needs to be shared. For a child diagnosed with severe autism, I think it may be helpful to use explicit and literal language so that he or she may be understand more of what you are saying clearly, and to use methods (e.g. communication cards, Makaton) in addition to purely spoken language to communicate with him or her.

 

[FireDragon76]

Yet, talking of Jesus can give them a sense of freedom. Jesus is not a "religion". He is a healer, miracle worker and can give great sense of peace rather than fear. I'm not sure why you're saying it could be scary. Do you think autism is demonic? The enemy creates fear. The enemy WILL give you a sense of fear. Not Jesus.

No, I don't think autism is demonic. I actually am living with adult autism. Though I am relatively high functioning, I still scored high enough on the standard battery of tests to be diagnosed about eight years ago.

Jesus is part of religion, there is no other way of talking about Jesus as the figure most Christians understand him, and not talk about religion. If we are talking about the historical Jesus, a Jewish rabbi that lived 2,000 years ago, that's one thing, but most Christians (at least on this forum) speak of Jesus as a living, albeit invisible, presence. And sometimes that idea is connected with potentially frightening concepts (as if an invisible person you can't see or communicate with wasn't unnerving enough), such as judgment and hell, depending upon the perosns religious orientation.

Given the complexity of the situation when dealing with severe autism, I think its best to leave religious instruction to professionals. By all means, don't go out of your way to hide your religion, but at the same time, there is no reason to take the burden of religious instruction upon yourself.

 

[david shelby]

This question is impossible to answer without knowing you and the father who you describe as "anti-Christian." Because honestly, this could be a situation where a rabid Calvinist is describing the father as "anti-Christian" for being a Christian who doesn't believe in predestination. That's not outside the realm of possibility. Meaning the "very non-Christian household" the kid is being raised in may in fact actually be very Christian, but non-Calvinist. If that is the case, I think the kid is better off without Calvinistic meddling. Let him enjoy the joy of a loving Jesus rather than a Calvinist monster Jesus. If the situation is other, I have no advice because I don't really now the situation. But the fact that its mentioned that his mother takes him to church, suggests this is just a bigoted Calvinist versus non-Calvinist Christian situation, to me, without any further knowledge of it. And I'd say, leave him alone; he's better off without the doctrines of disgrace.

 

[God saves]

This question is impossible to answer without knowing you and the father who you describe as "anti-Christian." Because honestly, this could be a situation where a rabid Calvinist is describing the father as "anti-Christian" for being a Christian who doesn't believe in predestination. That's not outside the realm of possibility. Meaning the "very non-Christian household" the kid is being raised in may in fact actually be very Christian, but non-Calvinist. If that is the case, I think the kid is better off without Calvinistic meddling. Let him enjoy the joy of a loving Jesus rather than a Calvinist monster Jesus. If the situation is other, I have no advice because I don't really now the situation. But the fact that its mentioned that his mother takes him to church, suggests this is just a bigoted Calvinist versus non-Calvinist Christian situation, to me, without any further knowledge of it. And I'd say, leave him alone; he's better off without the doctrines of disgrace.

Actually, I think it was stated that the the original poster's brother's mom takes the nephew to church, not the nephew's mother

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

. Any opinions on how to approach this? I think just because he is "mentally challenged" and autistic doesn't mean he shouldn't learn about Jesus.

WONDERFUL!
and a good resource: Corrie ten Boom's books, and videos of her on youtube etc, and especially her book that has helped many : "Common Sense Not Needed", a simple help for simple people.
Corrie was successful with the students in her classes, that other teachers could do nothing with.