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I did not know I was Autistic until a couple years ago. Growing up I had a lot of difficulties making friends, understanding homework and would get migraines due to sensory issues. I did not understand why I acted this way all I knew was that I had problems other kids did not have.

Growing up in the church helped me to socialize a lot. My family were around a lot of people so I learned by the age of ten how to mask my symptoms and pretend they did not exist. As an adult the masking became to much and I was having more meltdowns. That is when I learned that I might be autistic. I took an assesment and was finally diagnosed.

Now that I know for sure that I am Autistic, I notice that a lot of life is not Autism friendly. There are a lot of people in the church who mean well but are not always aware of the needs of autistic people in the congrigation or do not always take those needs seriously.

Sometimes people can misunderstand our need for recovery time as being selfish instead of it being an act of self preservation. Our need to skip the annual church picnic due to sensory issues can make people think we are not wanting fellowship. People can misinterpret our bluntness as being to cynical.

There are so many other missinturpitations of our behavior and if you are autistic there are probably a lot of things that you find get misinterpreted not just in church but in our daily lives in general. So where should we start? I say talking to someone that you trust a friend or a family member. It is not always easy and sometimes it feels a lot trying to explain your daily struggles. But it can be worth it when you have someone in your corner who can help you when times are tough.

I think also advocating for other autistic people’s needs. If you are able to give someone a ride home or if they are having trouble in social situations being there to help. Being friends with other nurodivergent people in the church can help us not only feel less alone but can help us to meet eachothers needs and serve eachother in that way.

I am hoping this blog can help you to find other Autistic christians and help you feel a little less alone. We may operate differently but we can still be faithful disciples of Jesus. I want this to not only be a place where we can talk about our struggles but see how we can become better disciples with autism. How we can use our gifts and our strenghts to serve others as well as how we can avoid burnout along the way.

Hope you have a great day and keep that quiet flame lit.