Call for understanding in wake of church autism ban
Posted: Thursday, May 22, 2008, 10:28 (BST)
Autism campaigners are urging church leaders and clergymen to understand the complex needs of children and adults with autism and Asperger's Syndtome after a Roman Catholic priest banned a 13-year-old boy with autism from attending service at his church on the grounds of disruptive behaviour.
Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder affecting over 60 million people around the world. In the UK there are 500,000 people with autism. According to researchers in the UK, 1 in 100 children are on the spectrum and numbers are rising.
Church leaders believe Adam Race, who is already more than 6 feet tall and weighs more than 225 pounds, to be a danger to other members of the congregation. According to the Associated Press, the Rev Daniel Walz wrote in his petition for the restraining order that Adam has hit a child, has almost knocked over elderly parishioners whilst dashing from his pew, has spit at people and has urinated in the church, claims which Ms Race denies.
"His behaviour at Mass is extremely disruptive and dangerous," wrote Walz, according to the news agency. "Adam is 13 and growing, so his behaviours grow increasingly difficult for his parents to manage."
The boy's mother, Carol Race, of Bertha in Minnesota, said she found out about the restraining order when she tried to attend Mass at her church, the Church of St Joseph. Todd County Sheriff Pete Mikkelson warned Ms Race that she would be taken into police custody if she and her son entered St Joseph.
Ms Race, of Bertha in Minnesota, denies the priest's claims and states that although Adam may be noisy at times, they usually sit in the back of the church and try to stay quiet. She said that the restraining order amounts to discrimination.
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The comments below are readers' personal opinions and are in no way intended to reflect the editorial opinion of Christian Today.
Added: Thursday, June 5, 2008, 13:59 (BST)
Thank You for your comments Gray, Germany. I too went and read more info from the area press in MN. I feel the parrish has gone to lengths to accommodate the Family. Where does the rights of the Autistic person end and the welfare of the community begin? The media needs to "tell" the whole story not just a paper selling headline/article.
George , Frisco, Texas
Added: Wednesday, June 4, 2008, 12:34 (BST)
The funny thing is, if Jesus had been at that church, he would have just driven the demon out of the boy and he would be fine right now.
Mat17:19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
Mat17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Mat17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
The church in question should have resorted to prayer and fasting rather than a restraining order.
sam, Columbus USA
Added: Monday, June 2, 2008, 14:48 (BST)
So much for "G0d loves everyone?!"
Chappy, Manchester, NH
Added: Monday, June 2, 2008, 9:16 (BST)
Imho this report is lacking in several ways. Firstly, the headline: "church autism ban"? There isn't any general ban on autism by the catholic church, this whole think is about a restraining order against the family of a very disruptive autistic boy (weighing about 225 pounds at six feet, btw). Sry, but this kind of exaggerated, sensationalist headline may be typical for tabloids, but it should have no place at "Christian Today".
Then, the story only passingly mentions the "priest's claims", but they aren't covered at all. Well, from other newspapers we learn that it's claimed that not only Adam is noisy, but that he spits and urinates in church, that he already almost knocked down another kid and some elderly churchgoers, that he grabbed an adolescent girl and tried to pull her on his lap, that his parents routinely have to restrain him in church by sitting on him and even by binding his hands. And then there was the incident where he got into the drivers seats of the family car and that of another family, and revved the engines up. Sry, but for every rational thinking person this is not only a serious disruption of the mass, but there's real danger of an accident waiting to happen. Does the church simply has wait for someone getting injured before they are "allowed" to act on this? I don't think so.
At the same time, there has been a lot of understanding for the family's problems, the parents even were commendated for their work for autistic childs in 2005. But the situation has changed, a big and strong 13 year old boy is a more dangerous force when acting spontaneous than a 10 year old. There have been talks about attending another mass, about the family sitting at another place in church, all kinds of proposals. But nothing has been accepted, and to me it looks as if the parents are in a severe state of denial (understandably so, but still irrational). I mean, what shall we think of the mother of a 13 year old boy weighing 225 pounds, when she laughingly says in an interview "he likes to eat"? Sry, Mrs. Race, but that's not funny, that's a problem! And the core of the problem seems to be that the family established ways to cope with Adam, like sitting on him when he's becoming excited, that worked well when he was a kid, but have come to limits now that he's growing up fast. I guess more qualified help is needed at this point, and not simply more concessions from the community. Tolerance shouldn't include ignoring potentially dangerous developments, and it would be good if the Races realized this, too.
Well, those are informations that can easily be found by a simple Google news search. Sad to see that the story here doesn't give us those facts, but only a one sided representation of the point of view of the family.
Gray, Germany
Added: Saturday, May 24, 2008, 5:03 (BST)
There is no excuse for what the Reverand did; BUT, it is up to US (the parents of these extraordinary children) to educate the public around us...you MUST talk to the preachers, teachers, babysitters, relatives, and neighbors to help them understand your child.
sheila, Olive Branch, ms
Added: Friday, May 23, 2008, 5:33 (BST)
Autism should be NO reason for a child not to be able to attend Catholic Mass or any religious service or rite. Denying an autistic child of the presence of the Holy Spirit should not be within the guidelines of any church or religious entity. Jesus would not have walked by him without noticing his innermost purity of spirit.
Dorothy Tesch, Buffalo USA
