Category: Autism Blog

Good Doctor

August 14, 2018

First Thoughts on The Good Doctor

The Good Doctor is a medical drama that airs on ABC and which features a doctor with autism. It is based on an earlier South Korean series. At this point I have only watched...

Hope's Reason Podcast

Autism Blog / Christian Apologetics Blog / Leadership Blog

August 2, 2018

The Hope’s Reason Podcast

I have been podcasting for quite a few years and I do enjoy it. Although my original podcast has been taken down by me, I am still active in podcasting. I offer a podcast...

Disability

July 17, 2018

Disability Stereotypes in Movies

One of the pet peeves of many people in the disability community is how people with disabilities are portrayed in movies and television shows. Very often, stereotypes are used for people with disabilities. People...

Ableism

July 5, 2018

Why I Don’t Talk Much About Ableism

For years we have heard about sexism (discrimination against a gender, usually females) and racism (discrimination against a race, usually non-whites). People may be less familiar with ableism. What is ableism? The Centre for...

Disability

June 26, 2018

What is a Disability?

I recently asked a question on a couple of Facebook groups that I belonged to. One group was about autism and the other about sarcoidosis. I asked members whether they identified as disabled. Interestingly,...

Asperger's

June 18, 2018

Asperger’s From the Inside Out – Review

Before there was just an Autism Spectrum Disorder, there was also an Asperger’s Syndrome (AS). The simple definition of AS is that it is autism without the language deficits. However, AS has disappeared as...

Inspiration Porn

June 15, 2018

Inspiration Porn

This past week, I was at the Summer Institute on Theology and Disability. There was so much that I learned but one of the terms I came across for the first time was “inspiration...

Autism

June 4, 2018

This is What Autism Looks Like

It is important for me to share information about autism. It is vital that our society grow in autism awareness. But is autism is more than a diagnosis, it is about people. Autism never...

Autism

May 29, 2018

Making Plans With Autism

A few weeks ago, we were staying at a hotel with our three youngest children. One of the reasons we went to the hotel is that it had a pool. Since the hotel was...

Good News

Autism Blog / Personal Blog

May 6, 2018

Good News: A Beautiful Day For a Walk

My Good News is that I took a walk to Tim Horton’s. How is that Good News, other than the fact that I really enjoy their steeped tea? This weekend included a visit from...

Disabilities

April 23, 2018

An Important Question For Churches and Disabilities

Our church has a Bible study that takes place Sundays after the service. We were looking at Paul’s vision for the unity of the church in Ephesians 2. One of the participants asked a...

Autism

April 17, 2018

Why I’m Glad My Children Didn’t Come For a Visit

Our two oldest children have autism and live in a group home about an hour and a half away. They normally come for visits every other week. Last weekend they were supposed to come...

Autism

April 9, 2018

An Autism Challenge

Our society has come a long way when it comes to autism awareness. People know more about autism than ever before. But how well do they know people with autism? As a part of...

Autism Awareness

April 2, 2018

Churches Need More Than Autism Awareness

There has been an increase in autism awareness, both in general and in the church. That is a good thing but more is needed. Autism awareness means that people know what autism is and...

Special Needs

Autism Blog / Leadership Blog

March 29, 2018

Caring for Special Needs People in Your Small Church

One of the most practical podcasts that I listen to is the 200 Church podcast. I was quite happy when I heard they were doing an episode on special needs. Co-host Jonny Craig has...

Stephen Hawking

March 15, 2018

Stephen Hawking and Disabilities

Stephen Hawking just recently died. There is much about Hawking that I disagreed with. He denied the existence of God and thought heaven was a fairy tale. I suppose he knows the truth now....

Pastor

Autism Blog / Leadership Blog

March 14, 2018

31 Days to Become a Better Pastor: Embrace Those With Disabilities

Many churches have embraced the concept of disabilities. Churches want diversity of gender, ethnicities, age, economic status and others. But what about disabilities? I need to confess that I’m biased in this area. In...

Lamar Hardwick

February 19, 2018

Interview With Lamar Hardwick

I’m grateful to Lamar Hardwick for sharing his experience with autism. Lamar blogs at The Autistic Pastor.  Could you share a little about yourself and what you do?  My name is Lamar Hardwick. I...

Autism

February 14, 2018

Miraculous Healings From Autism?

I came across an article from the Charisma magazine website written by Becky Dvorak titled Miraculous Healings for Autism Begin to Manifest. How do I respond to this? When our children were first diagnosed with...

Autism

February 13, 2018

Autism: Explaining the Enigma – Review

I recently read the book Autism: Explaining the Enigma by Uta Frith. It is an older book, having been published in 1989, but it is still useful. I have read many books on autism...

Wonder

February 6, 2018

Wonder – Review

Our family was able to watch Wonder, a movie that we have wanted to see for sometime. The movie is about August “Auggie” Pullman, a boy with a facial deformity. For the first time, he...

Autism

January 29, 2018

The Autism Opportunity Easily Missed by Churches

My observation of churches is that there is an increase in awareness and compassion about autism. The media has really brought autism to the forefront and a variety of advocacy groups have promoted autism...

PECS

January 22, 2018

A Relic From the Past

Our family recently moved to a new house. It is not surprising that in the packing and unpacking that long lost items turn up. I recently noticed on the floor something that I hadn’t...

Accessibility Ministry

January 16, 2018

Reflections on Teaching Accessibility Ministry

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to teach a module as a part of the Certificate in Accessibility Ministry at Tyndale University College. I teach biblical studies regularly at Tyndale but topics related...

Breathe

January 9, 2018

Breathe – Review

Last night I watched the movie Breathe, directed by Andy Serkis. The movie stars Andrew Garfield (Amazing Spider-Man) and Claire Foy (The Crown). The movie is based on a true story about Robin Cavendish,...

Disability

January 4, 2018

How to Become a Disability-Friendly Church

You may or may not know that I used to be the associate editor for Faith Today magazine. Although I have moved on to other endeavours, I’m still very excited about the magazine. I...

Special Needs

December 16, 2017

Stay Engaged With Your Special Needs Child (Part 2)

This is the first of two-part guest post by Bryan Stoudt. Visit Bryan’s website at the link found in his bio at the end of this post. You can find the first part here. Last...

Special Needs

December 8, 2017

Special Needs Families Are Not a Monolithic Group

I speak often on the needs of families who are dealing with disabilities. My prayer to that the church will respond to those special needs. But the challenge is that the needs of each...

Special Needs

December 6, 2017

Stay Engaged With Your Special Needs Child (Part 1)

This is the first of two-part guest post by Bryan Stoudt. Visit Bryan’s website at the link found in his bio at the end of this post. You can find the second part here. Our...

Accessible

December 1, 2017

A Simple Way to Make Your Church More Accessible

When you think about an accessible church, what do you think of? Perhaps the installation of an elevator or a wheelchair ramp. Maybe hearing assisting devices or specially designed washrooms. Those are good but...

Healing

November 14, 2017

The Moment That Haunts Me

They say you should never live with regrets. That may be so, but there are certain events that I do regret that I didn’t act differently. I will share one moment that still haunts...

Autism

October 17, 2017

Recognizing Autism

One of the most important reminders about autism is that everyone with autism is different. My mantra is “if you have met one person with autism, you have met one person with autism.” The...

Disabilities

October 13, 2017

5 Ways Churches Can Help Support Families With Disabilities

One of my passions is to help churches be welcoming and safe places for families with disabilities. I come at this both as a pastor and as a father of two children with autism....

Autism

October 9, 2017

The Power of Little Victories

What are the things that you celebrate as a parent? It may be your child getting their driver’s licence or graduating from university. We may be looking for the big things to get excited...

Autism

October 6, 2017

Autism and Mental Health

Although autism is not a mental illness, there is a connection. The stress of either being on the autism spectrum or caring for someone on the autism spectrum can greatly affect mental health. I...

Disabilities

September 19, 2017

What Does Jesus Want Our Churches to Look Like?

I was preparing for an upcoming sermon and came across an interesting passage. He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, don’t invite your...

Autism

September 13, 2017

The Reason I Blog About Autism

I often say that I blog for myself, that it is it is a way for me to sort through my thoughts and at times vent about what is bugging me. But I must...

Certificate in Accessible Ministry

September 4, 2017

5 Reasons You Should Get the Certificate in Accessible Ministry

Christian Horizons and Tyndale University College have partnered to offer a Certificate in Accessible Ministry. What is this certificate? Here is the description from the website: “Everyone welcome!” many of our church signs proclaim. As...

Autism Blog

August 23, 2017

Certificate in Accessible Ministry

One of my passions is to equip churches to minister to and with people with disabilities. That is why I’m excited about a new and amazing collaboration between two of my favourite organizations: Tyndale...

Autism Blog

August 15, 2017

A World Without Disabilities?

CBS recently reported on Iceland and how they have almost “eradicated Down Syndrome. One of the people in the article said: My understanding is that we have basically eradicated, almost, Down syndrome from our...

Autism Blog

August 12, 2017

Disabilities and the Innocence of Children

We had an interesting conversation the other day. Our three youngest children are aged 9-11. We were talking about what it will be like when they get their driver’s license. Our youngest, Faith (aged...

Autism

July 31, 2017

When People Stare

I recently shared about taking our son with autism out to the park. While we see Logan regularly, it had been a long time since he had been out in public. That is other...

Autism Blog

July 25, 2017

Disabilities and the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

One of the hardest hitting parables that Jesus ever taught was the parable of the sheep and the goats from Matthew 25. There is a danger of protestants passing over this parable out of...

Autism Blog

July 11, 2017

Why I Tease My Daughter With Autism

My oldest daughter is 14 years-old and has autism. And I like to tease her. Don’t worry, I don’t tease her about having autism. I’m not that much of a jerk. Abby doesn’t like...

Diverse

June 15, 2017

How Diverse Do You Want Your Church to Be?

I have listened to a number of podcasts and read some books that have argued for increased diversity within the church. I am all for this. One of the things that I love about...

Good News

Autism Blog / Personal Blog

June 4, 2017

Good News: First Communion

Today may have been one of the most amazing mornings at church in my life. I shared a couple of weeks ago about how we brought our son with autism to church for the...

Wrestling With an Angel

June 1, 2017

Wrestling With an Angel – Review

When it comes to being parents of children with disabilities, there is a connection that goes deep. Even if we have never met or our circumstances are different, there is a commonality and emotional...

Service Dog

May 26, 2017

Don’t Pet the Service Dog!

I was at the hospital today visiting someone. As we walked into the hospital, we saw someone with a service dog waiting to pay for parking. I also the person in front of us...

Autism

May 25, 2017

Autism and Quality Time

Last weekend, our children with autism were visiting from their group home. It is always great to have them with us. At one point, Our daughter Abby was playing in the backyard. I grabbed...

Autism Blog

May 22, 2017

A Place of Healing – Review

Perhaps one of the first Christian “celebrities” that I ever heard of was Joni Eareckson Tada. She has an amazing story and has accomplished much more than many people without a disability. However, early...

Good News

Autism Blog / Personal Blog

May 21, 2017

Good News: Bringing Our Son to Church

Today was one of the happiest Sundays in my life. Many people take it for granted that they can go to church as a family. In our case, our two oldest children have autism...

Autism Blog

May 19, 2017

Do You Have People With Autism in Your Church?

The CDC has said that 1 in 68 children are born with autism. In Canada, the numbers are about 1 in 94. Those are some pretty significant numbers. My question to you is: Do...

Autism Blog

May 9, 2017

Adventures of SuperCaptainBraveMan: A Spectrum of Love – Review

I recently encountered a series of books called The Adventures of SuperCaptainBraveMan. While I haven’t read the first book, I was sent a copy of the second book called A Spectrum of Love. The...

Autism

May 2, 2017

Be Careful With the Advice You Give Autism Parents

It is common for parents to share their wisdom with each other. Experience provides little tips that we can share with others. This is completely natural and a good thing. But be careful with...

Autism Blog

April 13, 2017

Bitter-Sweet Sixteen

Our son Logan turned sixteen just the other day. On his birthday, we gathered the family together and went to a used car lot. We looked around, found a car at a reasonable price...

Good News

Autism Blog / Personal Blog

April 2, 2017

Good News: Thankful For Autism Awareness

About fourteen years ago, when our son Logan was diagnosed with autism, I was pretty ignorant about autism. I only knew what I saw in Rainman and St. Elsewhere. Many of our friends and...

Autism

March 31, 2017

My Six Favourite Autism Memories

Our two oldest children have autism and our experience with them has shaped our entire family. Although there have been some hard days, we have also had some great times as well. I may...

Autism Awareness

March 29, 2017

Why Should the Church Care About Autism Awareness?

April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day and April is Autism Awareness Month. But why should the church care about autism awareness? Shouldn’t we just leave autism awareness to secular social programs? I would...

Autism Blog

March 13, 2017

Marriage and Asperger’s Syndrome

What do you think of when you think of autism? Nonverbal children rocking back and forth, perhaps banging their head? Autism includes that but also is so much more. What if I told you...

R-Word

March 1, 2017

My Problem With the R-Word

I was recently watching the Netflix series, Luke Cage. Throughout the series, I was bothered by the generous use of the N-word, even by the residents of Harlem. I have learned to have an...

Autism

February 14, 2017

Tips to Becoming an Autism-Friendly Church

The CDC has reported that 1 in 68 children are born with autism. Your church needs decide if you want to include or exclude people with autism. Most churches take the steps to be...

Autism Blog

January 28, 2017

5 Things You Should Know About My Children With Autism

Autism awareness has come a long way but there is still far to go. I have two children with autism. They are both on the severe end and are considered nonverbal. If you met...

Autism Blog

January 24, 2017

Hans Reinders on Disability and Meaning

If the church is going to minister effectively in the area of disabilities, it is important to develop a theology of disability. This video is by Hans Reinders on ‘Disability and Meaning’ from the 2012...

Autism

January 18, 2017

Five Reasons Why King Solomon Was on the Autism Spectrum

This article is a guest post by Ron Sandison. You can find his bio at the conclusion of this post. As a theologian and prodigy with autism I have felt a close connection to...

Autism Blog

January 16, 2017

Thoughts on The Accountant

I have been hoping to see The Accountant for some time and finally got to watch it today. I was not disappointed. It was one of the best movies that I have seen in...

Autism Blog

January 4, 2017

The New Edition of How to Make Your Church Autism-Friendly!

I believe that of all the books that I have written, one of the most important is How to Make Your Church Autism-Friendly. It covers a topic that is very close to my heart....

Podcast

Autism Blog / Christian Apologetics Blog / Leadership Blog

January 3, 2017

Rebooting My Podcast

I have been making some major changes in my online activity. I am trying to streamline things so that I can be better at what I do. One of those changes was to merge...

Autism Blog

December 30, 2016

Meet Our Son

In the second episode of my autism podcast, I introduce you to our son. He has taught us much about autism and life in general. Here is a little about our story. In the...

Autism Blog

December 29, 2016

Introduction to the Autism Dad Podcast

Of all the roles I have, one of the most important is that of an autism dad. I have interviewed people about autism on my regular podcast but I have felt like there was...

Autism Blog

December 27, 2016

Disability and the Gospel – Review

One aspect of working through ideas about disabilities is to develop a theology of disability. The Bible has some important things to say about disabilities. But how do they fit together and what is...

Autism Blog

December 22, 2016

The 21st Chromosone

Autism Blog

December 20, 2016

Autism: Predicting Overload

Autism Blog

December 12, 2016

Confessions of an Autism Mom

I am so thankful for my wife and the way she is able to put into words our experience as autism parents. Amanda recently wrote a post on her blog, describing exactly what I...

Autism Blog

December 10, 2016

Dear Future Mom

A heartwarming message from 15 people with Down syndrome to a future mom.

Autism Blog

December 9, 2016

Siblings With Disabilities

One of the aspects of disabilities that people miss is that there are often siblings. Such siblings are very special people. I encourage you to watch this video that shares the thoughts of some...

Accessible Church

December 8, 2016

On Being an Accessible Church

In the province that I live in, it is the law that all public buildings, including churches, are accessible to those with disabilities. We shouldn’t need the law to make us accessible. What people...

He Came Down

December 7, 2016

He Came Down

If you are having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit, you need to watch this video. It is about a nativity play put on by children with Down Syndrome.

Bullying

December 2, 2016

Bullying Also Happens in the Church

People with disabilities are too often the target for bullying. Those who have communication or cognitive challenges are particularly vulnerable as they may have difficulty reporting the bullying. Ideally, the church would be a...

Autism Blog

November 29, 2016

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism Blog

November 26, 2016

Nothing is Happening Tomorrow

Have you ever had someone start to say something, in the sense of revealing information, and you would do anything to stop them? We have many times. When our two children with autism lived...

Autism Blog

November 25, 2016

What is Scripting?

Autism Blog

November 18, 2016

What is an Autistic Meltdown?

Autism Blog

November 16, 2016

Autism Spectrum Disorder Infographic

by J.L. From Visually.

C.S. Lewis

November 11, 2016

Top 10 Facts: J.R.R. Tolkien

Autism Blog

November 11, 2016

A Theology of Autism

This is a lecture by theologian John Swinton that was given at the Summer Institute on Theology and Disability in 2011.

Autism

November 9, 2016

The Church and People With Mild Autism

I think that there has been some improvement in the church’s willingness to embrace and minister to people with autism and their families. But often the people with autism that the church has in...

Autism Blog

November 5, 2016

An Autistic Evening

One of the purposes of this blog is to increase awareness about autism. As much as I love to share the positive experiences, the reality is that there are some difficult times. I have...

Autism

November 5, 2016

How to Talk to a Person With Autism Who Seems to Ignore You

If you tried to talk to our son, you might find that he would avoid eye contact and probably would hum while you spoke. I suspect that our son is not unique in this....

Autism Service Dog

November 2, 2016

What is an Autism Service Dog?

Many people have heard of guide dogs for the blind, but what is an autism service dog? The principle is the same, in that the dog wears a jacket that allows the person to...

Autism Blog

October 29, 2016

Did Jesus Have a Disability?

People with disabilities have not always felt valuable. This includes the context of the church. Are disabilities just a reminder of all that is not right in the world? But what if Jesus had...

Autism

October 28, 2016

5 Ways to Support a Family With Autism

Perhaps you know a family that has someone with autism and you desire to support them. But what can you do? I would like to offer five things that you could do to help...

Autism Blog

October 21, 2016

The Biggest Need For Families With Disabilities

I may be too presumptuous in making a judgment about all families with disabilities, but I’m at least confident that this applies to a good majority of families. I believe that the biggest need...

Autism Blog

October 19, 2016

Autism and Sensory Overload

One of the things that many people with autism experience is sensory overload. There are too many sounds, sights and smells and it becomes overwhelming. This video was created to help people without autism...

Disabilities

Autism Blog / Leadership Blog

October 15, 2016

Preaching on Disabilities

I truly believe that the pastor needs to take the lead on helping a church to become disability-friendly. This can happen in many ways, but one is to preach on disabilities. There are a...

Autism Blog

October 10, 2016

Autism and Holiday Dinners

As I write this, it is the Canadian Thanksgiving. We were blessed to have extended family with us for a delicious turkey dinner. It was an enjoyable time. However, our children with autism did...

Disability Ministry

September 30, 2016

Disability Ministry is Not Just to Those With Disabilities

Disability ministry is extremely important. Churches must be reaching out to those with disabilities. But that should not be the only goal for disability ministry. While not taking away from the needs of...

Autism Blog

September 28, 2016

Why Do People With Autism Stim?

If you met our son, you would find him with a square-shaped toy in a sock covered with some plastic. If you met our daughter, you would find her with a CD or DVD...

Autism Blog

September 26, 2016

The Side of Autism You Don’t Want to See

We all love to see the stories of people with autism who are exceptionally bright or who have a savant ability. We are encouraged when we see people with autism who become very successful....