Catholic news site, EWTN, told the story this week of the British Catholic deacon, Mark Paine from the Archdiocese of Birmingham, himself autistic and a parent to autistic children – who has produced two new resources that he hopes will benefit people on the autism spectrum in their understanding of the Christian faith.
The materials are:
“Called By Name: Guide to Religious Education with Autistic Pupils Aged 5–11 Years”, which aims to help teachers to support autistic children, and
“Radical Belonging: Guide to Sacramental Preparation with Autistic Young People”, for catechists in parishes and those helping young people prepare for the sacraments in schools.
“There are young people and adults who have never received sacramental preparation”, said Deacon Mark Paine, “because the sacramental preparation programmes available to teachers and catechists, on the whole, do not match the communication needs of people with neurodivergency or people who are nonverbal”.
Read the full story on EWTN here.