For people with autism, walking into a busy church can be a sensory nightmare

I was working with, and supporting autistic people before I ever considered I might be autistic myself. I remember being rather taken aback when it was first suggested to me that I should consider an assessment. Although I had an understanding of autism, I also had many misconceptions and a lack of awareness of how varied the spectrum truly is.

Fast forward eight years, and I find myself using the knowledge I have gained, alongside personal experience to try and support churches in welcoming autistic individuals.

Personally, I have found church life can have a lot of elements that are overwhelming and challenging. 

Personally, I have found church life can have a lot of elements that are overwhelming and challenging. For example, walking into a busy church building can be a sensory nightmare.

Each layer of noise: cups and mugs clattering, people chatting, children playing, bands rehearsing, chairs moving, the smells of perfumes and aftershaves, flowers and coffee and the clusters and crowds of people everywhere you look.

It can take time to process all this information before I even start to consider the social dynamics of who to talk to, what to talk about and where to sit!

Over the years I’ve found some practical solutions to support myself. I will sometimes wear earplugs if the environment or music is too loud, and I have found arriving either early or late to be less overwhelming than arriving on time! I also find that serving on a team gives me more structure and a job to do, which helps socially as I’m more likely to be in a situation with a “script” of what to say and talk about.

Over the years I’ve found some practical solutions to support myself- I will sometimes wear earplugs if the environment or music is too loud, and I have found arriving either early or late to be less overwhelming than arriving on time!

And yet, I am hyper aware that my experience of being autistic is different to that of someone with higher support needs than my own. Because of this I am determined to use both my personal and professional experience to raise awareness, understanding and support for all autistic people, particularly advocating for those who can find communicating their needs a challenge.

So what are some helpful starting points for discussions with the autistic people in your church?

First, ask if we are comfortable to chat in that environment. It might be that it is too noisy, or there is too much going on sensory wise. If that’s the case we won’t be able to have as easy a conversation with you as if we are in a lower stimulating environment.

Second, you can discuss our preferred methods of communication. Some of us will be more than happy to communicate verbally, however for some autistic people this can be highly uncomfortable or even impossible. Some of us may communicate with AAC devices (often a tablet or device that uses text or pictures to communicate) and others may prefer texting or emailing.

You can ask us if we have any sensory sensitivities you should be aware of, this shows that you care about our comfort and needs, and are willing to help us feel relaxed and at ease where possible.

Finally, please have conversations with us that will build relationship and friendship. Ask about our likes, dislikes, interests, what we thought about the sermon and about the highs and lows of our week. You can ask us how you can be praying for us, and the ways in which we can be praying for you. Autistic people are just that, people.

We are made in God’s image and to be part of community, so do get to know us, and enjoy the diversity of church family.

Watch Triona’s videos to understand more about autism.