On April 24th, my son Daniel and I had the pleasure of being a part of the Special Needs Awareness Service at Bethesda Church of God in Sumter, SC. Bethesda is participating in the Autism Awareness Month Faith Based Initiative and we were more than happy to oblige when Mrs. Gale called and asked us to be a part of the service! If you are unfamiliar with our special needs ministry story, click here to...
Hello Everyone! It's been a busy few weeks! The Autism Awareness Month Faith Based Initiative is going great! I'm convinced now more than ever that this is exactly what God wants me to do for this season. It's so exciting to see all of the wonderful ideas the churches have been coming up with to promote autism awareness in their places of worship! Part of the success of this initiative came from a partnership with Autism...
A few years ago, a woman changed my life by her selfless act of kindness. She saw me in distress and didn’t say, “I’ll pray for you.” She didn’t wait around for someone else to do something. She took action! Many of you probably remember the series I wrote about the importance of special needs ministry. It remains to be the most popular blog series that I’ve ever written. That entire series was based upon...
Hello Everyone! I'm already getting my plans together for our 2016 Autism Awareness Month Campaign and I need your help! I am asking places of worship to agree to do at least one activity for Autism Awareness Month in April. Here are some ideas: Encourage everyone at your church to wear blue during a designated service. Share information about autism during your announcements or during the sermon. Have a display table available in a high traffic area...
Receiving an autism diagnosis for your child can be very overwhelming. There is so much to process and deal with, such as coming to terms with the diagnosis, choosing the right therapies, navigating through the educational system, dealing with social issues, and we aren't even going to get into concerns about the future! So what do you do? How do you process it all? Today's post is dedicated to answering some of those questions. Here's a quick...
My son's school recently had a Light It Up Blue for Autism Day. Everyone in the school was encouraged to wear blue and the cafeteria served blue food. It was great to see them promote autism awareness! I had the pleasure of doing a craft activity with my son's class for that day. We made puzzle piece picture frames. It was very easy to do and the kids really enjoyed it. Here's how we did...
Autism is a developmental disorder that can cause social, communication, and behavioral issues. In the year 2000, autism affected 1 in 150 children. In 2014, a study by the Centers for Disease Control found that autism now affects 1 in 68 children. For some unknown reason, autism affects boys more than girls, occurring in 1 in every 42 boys and 1 in every 189 girls. The number of children diagnosed with autism has grown exponentially...
Autism Awareness Month takes place each year in April. The goal of this national observance is to promote acceptance, awareness and inclusion for persons with autism. And what better way to promote autism awareness than through the schools? A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control found that 1 out of every 68 children have autism. Schools are often one of the first places that early intervention and diagnosis takes place. As a result, schools must be...
Does your church celebrate Autism Awareness Month? I'll be honest and say that I've never been a part of a church that did. But should churches celebrate Autism Awareness Month? I believe so. Here's why... Autism Spectrum Disorder is the fastest growing developmental disorder in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 out of every 68 children are diagnosed with Autism. Autism occurs in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. Let's...
World Autism Awareness Day is just one month away! The goal of this special day is to educate the public about autism and to promote early detection and early intervention. In 2007, the United Nations adopted a resolution to observe World Autism Awareness Day each year on April 2nd. Autism is one of the few health issues that has its own designated day of observance by the United Nations. Autism Speaks celebrates this special day each year by...
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