Healing

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Proverbs 22:6 states that if we train a child in a way he should go, that when he is old, he will not depart from it. When you are involved in teaching children, this is a verse that must be repeated constantly in your mind or you will easily burn-out. We are not teaching children for the sake of teaching children – we are teaching them to make a difference in their future relationship with the Lord, whether they are “normal’ or special needs. However, in dealing with special needs children, we must speak in their language for them to understand the love of God.

What if God, in all of His Glory, had a special language that only autistic or special needs children understood? When we had our special needs son, Jonathon, we had no idea what to do with him. We had him eighteen years ago when autism was not as widely accepted as it is in today’s world. We prayed and asked the Lord to “help us speak” in a language that Jonathon would understand. We learned thus to work with Jonathon by listening to the One who created him – God.

Autistic children see things in “pictures. They are highly visual (refer to Temple Grandin’s book – "Thinking in Pictures"). Also, they are not able to take in the things that exist around them in our world that most of us would consider “normal”. When they go into a noisy, brightly colored place, they take in all of the sights, colors, sounds, noises and people at the same time – there is no dividing it up and processing it normally. It is like someone exposed a livewire and prodded them with it. Thus, there are several ways that special children can be introduced into multi-faceted environments.
Many times the child cannot tolerate a brightly painted and decorated Sunday School room or regular classroom. There is too much sensory stimulation. To help them exist in our “normal” environment, we can have rooms or “spaces” for them, devoid of any type of sensory stimulation. This can be done by using a small pop-up tent or be using large ply-wood sheets to create a “quiet” corner. We can gradually introduce things to them within this type of environment, things like sensory boxes, where they glue different textured materials onto the box that they can “feel” when they get upset or uneasy. We can also bring them from this “safe” environment into the regular environment with the other children for small amounts of time, thus building up their tolerance over time. In order for this scenario to work, however, we must also have the same person work with this child at all times. A safe, steady environment is necessary for the special needs child’s success.

If the child is able to be immediately integrated into the regular environment, there are many things that can help encourage the special needs child’s involvement. We have used quiet music or videos. Special needs children generally respond well to calming sounds or by “seeing” slow-paced, soft colored visual images. An example of this would be a show like “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood” – Jonathon loves this show and it always has a calming affect on him. We have also used large webbed swings that can be bolted into the ceiling. The webbing encloses the child in a cocoon of safety and comfort, and the rocking produces a repetitiousness that is soothing to the child. Also, toys that us repetitive motions help special children to cope with their new surroundings. Integrating water or sand into the child’s environment also helps. Train tables can be easily turned into “sand” tables, allowing a child to run their fingers through or pour from container to container – another calming motion. We have also filled Christmas tree storage bins with a twenty pound bag of dried beans and also added dried pasta. Jonathon would set in this and play when he got upset.

Another way to make the child feel as if he/she has more control in their new environment is to take pictures of the child and their family. Create a picture schedule for the child with Velcro and attachable pictures. We have always used a picture (visual) schedule for Jonathon in times of stress or preceding a stressful time to explain his environment and what is going to happen or not happen. We have worked with him so much in this manner that we are now able to sit down with him and draw a social story for him, telling him about what is upsetting or hard to understand. A social story is a story that simply explains the child’s new experience in simple terms with pictures that are drawn with the words. We have also allowed Jonathon to create picture journals with photos and drawings, relating to whatever subject we are dealing with. Sign language, or hand pictures, can also be helpful to a special needs child’s understanding of his/her environment.

All of these things can be helpful in dealing with the special needs child; however, you must also always remember that there is a child inside of the autism that you are ministering to, and how well you handle or do not handle the situation also ministers to or discourages the child’s family. Each of these children are different – none of them are the same. What works with one may not work with another. These special children are not being disobedient to you or the parent’s authority – they simply speak a different language and must be related to in their native tongue. None of their actions must be taken personal – it is not about you – it is about the child and their special needs. A child will usually have a meltdown out of frustration (not understanding) or sensory overload. Removing them from this situation and distracting them by placing them in a quieter, more controlled environment, is the key to being able to take the frustration out of their life. If they are able to talk, get them to verbalize what they are upset about. If they are not able to talk, you may have to wait them out, until they are through with the meltdown. Getting to know the child is paramount in understanding their needs.

Finally, never destroy the natural curiosity of “normal” children about those who are special needs. If you have a special room or tent set aside for the autistic child, make it accessible to all of the children, if the special child is able to tolerate this invasion of their privacy. If other children are curious about the special child’s behavior, we have always explained it by saying, “Jonathon is having a hard time right now. Remember when you are sometimes afraid or scared and you do not know what to do? Well, that is how Jonathon feels right now.” Never make the special child inaccessible - your goal is to create compassion and openness in small children, so that they grow up into compassionate and caring adults. Deal with every question that a child might have as openly as possible.

Autism and other special disabilities are not diseases or something to be afraid of – these children simply speak another language that involves time, care and compassion, and most of all, God’s gracious intervention. Do not ever be afraid to ask God for the right things to do with these special children. He speaks their language much better than we do because He created them individually!

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