This photo is of Samuel looking at his Bible Story Book.Samuel loves the religion lessons we do together at home. He has been interested in God, Jesus, Mary, Bible Stories, and other elements of our faith for several years now. He is particularly interested in The Last Supper and The Stations of the Cross, and this has been very evident as Holy Week has approached this year.
I am looking forward to the day that we can go to church during Lent and Holy Week to join in the special services and masses that take place during this time. I thought about trying to take Samuel to the Stations of the Cross this year (our church does this Friday evenings during Lent), but we never did make it. That's okay, I have been enjoying helping Samuel read through a small book we have about it. I think that is more meaningful to him right now than it would be to attempt to have him sit at church in a socially acceptable manner for the half hour or so it would take. I am hopeful that Samuel will be much further on the road to better behavior at church by next Lent and I think it will be easier by then for my young daughter to either go along or remain at home with my husband. We are certainly not alone in this, it is difficult for many people to attend church with young children, whether their children are autistic or not.
We will be observing the Triduum by reading Bible stories at home together and watching special events on television. I'm thankful that Samuel is doing so much better at mass week to week now. We're so much closer to being able to attend additional things at our church now than we were last year, and I'm very hopeful that it will be even better by next year.
5 comments:
My daughter and I took her little girl, now 4 and diagnosed with autism a year ago, to church with us from the time she was a week old -until she was about 2 1/2 when all of a sudden, totally out of the blue, she developed a fear of going to church. She would go into meltdowns as soon as we pulled into the church parking lot. That continued until last June, when she finally agreed to attend a special service with us and since then, she has gradually become much better with her behavior during services. The Sunday we had her baby brother baptized, two years ago this coming July, she screamed and sobbed throughout the entire service. I sat in the narthex, behind the glass enclosure of the sanctuary, holding her, rocking her, trying to soothe her, to no avail. Thankfully, she seems to have outgrown that fear or trigger -whatever it was. Hopefully, we will soon be able to start taking her to Sunday School now as her behavior and comprehension levels have increased so well in the past 8-9 months now making that look quite promising.
It does take time. I remember the time I got dirty looks when Pamela ran the Indy 500 around the altar because they turned on the new sound system. She was six years old. When she turned ten, we could finally go to services as a family.
I have no doubt next year you will all go together! Just the little triumphs you have shared about your son in recent weeks is inspiring!
We have not been to church in a couple of years. Junior is afraid and I could see the Sunday school teacher dreading my kids so......
Have you talked to your priest (You are Catholic?)about his intrest? It would be nice if he took a bit of time with him.
Jeni, it really can be a long haul dealing with the behavior of our autistic children at church. It sounds like you have done a good job with your granddaughter if things are looking promising for her attending Sunday School!
Tammy - Wow, running around the altar! That has been my number one fear with Samuel, that he will escape my clutches and end up on the altar! He almost succeeded not too long ago when he tried getting up there to see the picture of the Last Supper on the altar.
Bishops Wife - I only took Samuel to CCD (what we call Sunday School)for kindergarten. That was the year his big brother made his First Communion and I wanted him to be in a class for his instruction. I stayed in the class with Samuel. He hadn't become so aggressive at that point, though we had plenty of difficult moments and sometimes had to leave the class. His teacher was wonderfully accepting of him. I don't think I'll ever put him in a class again though, he just cannot function in one and he learns better in other environments. Maybe someday that will change and he will be able to participate in a classroom setting in a more meaningful way.
That is an excellent suggestion, talking to our priest. I have not done so yet, though I have talked to the parish secretary to arrange for Samuel to do some practise visits in the church and I have talked with the director of Religious Education. Though Samuel has caused lots of awkward moments at church, we're very fortunate to be at a parish with very understanding parishioners, ushers, staff, and priests. I've only ever had one true moment of rudeness.
It is my hope that Samuel will be able to talk to the priest several times the year he makes his First Holy Communion, which I plan to have Samuel do the year that his younger brother makes his First Communion (2 years from now). I think by then Samuel will do much better in carrying on a conversation and listening. In the meantime, he is wonderfully interested in religion. Having my family go to church together is one of the biggest jobs I have worked on with Samuel. It has taken a long time to get where we are and there is still a long road ahead, but I'm very happy with how things are going.
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