Nothing about us without us! Or For of such is the Kingdom of Heaven (Part 1)

This week I have been working with a student diagnosed with Autism. In a number of ways, he is extremely talented yet often seems confined within his world, unable reflect, or express his own life experiences.

I am a firm believer in the inclusive love of Christ and in this blog I want to explore the rights movements motto "Nothing about us without us!" from a Spiritual context. Very little research seems to be available in relation to the significance of religion for people with autism spectrum disorders. The little research that has been done has been contradictory with some arguing that the complex and metaphorical nature of religion and religious experience is incompatible with the neurological, cognitive and social difficulties that are central features of autism spectrum disorders. Others argue that religious experience is very much a reality in the lives of people with this condition; a reality that has a good deal of significance for the quality of life of sufferers and their families.

As a theologian in the school of contextual spirituality, I am inclined to suggest that for us, there is nothing about us without the spirituality of a human being on the Autistic Spectrum. It was Hauerwas who said, "If the word is preached and the sacraments served without the presence of the mentally handicapped, then it may be that we are less than the body of Christ." He also suggests "indeed, the presence of the mentally handicapped may well be the embodiment of the Spirit." So what is this mysterious context.

Imagine what it's like. A person smiles at you - you're confused because you don't understand a smile. You can't get your usual breakfast cereal - your whole day is in disarray because you can't cope with your routine being upset. And someone tells you to pull your socks up. But you know you're not wearing socks, and it's very bewildering.

Not quite as funny as it sounds if you happen to be among the half a million people in Britain with some degree of autism. Some are severely disabled and need constant attention, but others keep their condition hidden and are high achievers: in business or as academics, for instance.

People on the autistic spectrum are perhaps not so much suffering from an inability to communicate but are on a different end of a communication spectrum due to lack of theory of mind (a specific cognitive capacity: the ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge, etc.—to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires and intentions that are different from one's own.)