Church is about unity not uniformity. It is in Christ that we are unified, not in sameness. Neurodiversity – all diversity – belongs in church. But it can be tough for some to be there.
This is wonderful Kate, and I think you've really captured a snapshot of what some of those sensory experiences can be like in churches!
I recently got to interview Dr Katy Unwin, a Lecturer in Psychology at La Trobe University, on this topic in an episode for a ministry called Anxious Faith/Our Daily Bread Ministries. Katy is a woman of faith herself, has a PhD in autism, and has recently conducted a study of autistic sensory experiences in church, which was really interesting! In the episode we chatted about accessibility for neurodivergent people in churches, and why it's important for church leaders (and members) to be thinking about this.
This is absolutely fantastic, thank you so much. What a wonderful balance of hearing from autistic people in Katy's research, hearing about your personal experience, hearing from the Bible, and hearing about current research. Brilliant.
I'd heard about this research from Leon on the Autism and Theology podcast, how lovely to hear from Katy too. I can't wait to se those Bible studies they're writing, what a great resource that will be. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Thank you Kate, that's so nice to hear! Oh wow, I didn't realise Leon had spoken on the Autism & Theology podcast (I haven't heard of that either), I'll have to check it out!
l always thought sensitive senses was a misnomer. It is usually that ND senses are always at 100% or 0%, and because the brain cannot handle this it translates as pain. One friend is kept awake by a motorbike school 13kms from her house.
Oh your poor friend! My daughter is like that! She sleeps with earplugs in these days.
Yeah, every ND person has their own unique sensory profile, but there can be an interplay between the ability of the senses to perceive a particular sensation and the processing of that sensation. My daughter will smell things long before the rest of us do and hear things that we can’t hear (“those lights are buzzing!”). Amazing! For others, they don’t have heightened sensory perception. Either way, yes, it’s the way of processing these that really creates the “sensitivity”, they can’t just “switch off” a sensory input, and it can cause pain (or even a sense of dread, fear, loss for some). I suppose “sensitivity” is an attempt to capture more than just detection but response too, I think it works, but I see where you’re coming from. There are other options such as “acute sensory processing” or “sensory processing difference”, these capture some of it, but they aren’t perfect either. Got any ideas? You could start a revolution! ☺️
This is a thoughtful article and one that resonates strongly with my experience in family. However, I'd challenge the suggestions at the end, which all focus on the family making changes and not the church. Can you speak to what changes churches can make and how families can foster those conversations and changes?
I think you might be referring to the footnote? Throughout the article I’m emphasising the importance of church and families working together, I’m not at all suggesting it’s only up to the families. I footnoted the suggestions of what families might do so the suggestions wouldn’t get in the way of the balance of church and families working together. Perhaps Substack should make it clearer that footnotes aren’t part of the body.
This is only half of the article - you might be interested in Part 2 for more on this topic including some practical suggestions (it’s in the archives).
Also, stay tuned, the topic of church won’t be over after these two articles - I’ll have a very practical article in a couple of months on communication with leadership, church environment, and church services. And there’ll be still more after that. 🙂
That’s great! My daughter wears flares too (Flares Calmer Kids, for those interested!). These are great because they don’t block out much sound but flatten the vibrations. She switches to stronger earplugs when the volume is too much. I love it when children have the tools to manage their environment, it makes a huge difference, doesn’t it!
It definitely causes lymphatic pain, and though 'sense of dread' sounds weird, that would be a reaction to the fight or flight adrenaline rush?
Sensory processing issues or abnormal sensory processing perhaps? There has just a NT narrative for so long that it is mental weakness that is a choice, rather than a physical problem with the brain.
This is wonderful Kate, and I think you've really captured a snapshot of what some of those sensory experiences can be like in churches!
I recently got to interview Dr Katy Unwin, a Lecturer in Psychology at La Trobe University, on this topic in an episode for a ministry called Anxious Faith/Our Daily Bread Ministries. Katy is a woman of faith herself, has a PhD in autism, and has recently conducted a study of autistic sensory experiences in church, which was really interesting! In the episode we chatted about accessibility for neurodivergent people in churches, and why it's important for church leaders (and members) to be thinking about this.
Just thought I'd share in case it interests you or if you'd like to check out Dr Katy's work in this area! https://www.anxiousfaith.org/episodes/ep27-lets-talk-about-autism-and-accessibility
This is absolutely fantastic, thank you so much. What a wonderful balance of hearing from autistic people in Katy's research, hearing about your personal experience, hearing from the Bible, and hearing about current research. Brilliant.
I'd heard about this research from Leon on the Autism and Theology podcast, how lovely to hear from Katy too. I can't wait to se those Bible studies they're writing, what a great resource that will be. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Thank you Kate, that's so nice to hear! Oh wow, I didn't realise Leon had spoken on the Autism & Theology podcast (I haven't heard of that either), I'll have to check it out!
This sounds great! Thank you, I’ll take a look 🙂
l always thought sensitive senses was a misnomer. It is usually that ND senses are always at 100% or 0%, and because the brain cannot handle this it translates as pain. One friend is kept awake by a motorbike school 13kms from her house.
Oh your poor friend! My daughter is like that! She sleeps with earplugs in these days.
Yeah, every ND person has their own unique sensory profile, but there can be an interplay between the ability of the senses to perceive a particular sensation and the processing of that sensation. My daughter will smell things long before the rest of us do and hear things that we can’t hear (“those lights are buzzing!”). Amazing! For others, they don’t have heightened sensory perception. Either way, yes, it’s the way of processing these that really creates the “sensitivity”, they can’t just “switch off” a sensory input, and it can cause pain (or even a sense of dread, fear, loss for some). I suppose “sensitivity” is an attempt to capture more than just detection but response too, I think it works, but I see where you’re coming from. There are other options such as “acute sensory processing” or “sensory processing difference”, these capture some of it, but they aren’t perfect either. Got any ideas? You could start a revolution! ☺️
This is a thoughtful article and one that resonates strongly with my experience in family. However, I'd challenge the suggestions at the end, which all focus on the family making changes and not the church. Can you speak to what changes churches can make and how families can foster those conversations and changes?
Hi Ben, thanks for your comment. 🙂
I think you might be referring to the footnote? Throughout the article I’m emphasising the importance of church and families working together, I’m not at all suggesting it’s only up to the families. I footnoted the suggestions of what families might do so the suggestions wouldn’t get in the way of the balance of church and families working together. Perhaps Substack should make it clearer that footnotes aren’t part of the body.
This is only half of the article - you might be interested in Part 2 for more on this topic including some practical suggestions (it’s in the archives).
Also, stay tuned, the topic of church won’t be over after these two articles - I’ll have a very practical article in a couple of months on communication with leadership, church environment, and church services. And there’ll be still more after that. 🙂
I'll certainly check out the second article 😀
Flares are what my daughter needs. It’s different for each person but they make life possible right now!
That’s great! My daughter wears flares too (Flares Calmer Kids, for those interested!). These are great because they don’t block out much sound but flatten the vibrations. She switches to stronger earplugs when the volume is too much. I love it when children have the tools to manage their environment, it makes a huge difference, doesn’t it!
Thank you for writing about this Kate. I look forward to Part 2.
Thank you so much! 🙂
Your work is so outstanding, helpful, and meaningful, Kate. Thank you.
Thank you so much 🙂
It definitely causes lymphatic pain, and though 'sense of dread' sounds weird, that would be a reaction to the fight or flight adrenaline rush?
Sensory processing issues or abnormal sensory processing perhaps? There has just a NT narrative for so long that it is mental weakness that is a choice, rather than a physical problem with the brain.