The “Keep The Faith” Program

Bringing Places of Worship and the Autism/Special Needs Community Together

The motto of the Autism Resource Foundation is “Always Believe, Never Lose Faith and Keep Moving Forward.” Often the autism/special need community feels a separation from places of worship. With this in mind we established the “Keep The Faith” Program in order to assist places of worship to deal with autism/special need issues.

God’s example of unconditional love is paramount to our understanding of the role of acceptance in the place of worship. Too many parents and siblings, as well as individuals with autism, are asked to leave or feel so uncomfortable that they lose this most precious part of their lives, and at a time when they are most in need. The dilemma, "If not a place of worship, then where can an individual be accepted exactly as they are with unlimited love and inclusion?"

Families of faith need to find a place of worship where all of its members can be nurtured. By integrating those with autism as regular members of the church, with resource help and community-wide education, the church becomes accessible to the whole family, and the family, in turn, is strengthened through shared faith experiences.

For most places of worship, the lack of special need considerations is not intentional; simply a matter of not having familiarity with the autism/special need environment. Most places of worship recognize the need for autism/special need programs, but are unsure of the steps to take to realize this goal. The “Keep The Faith” Program will provide tools and resources to take guesswork out of establishing autism/special need programs.

Here are some of the components of the “Keep The Faith” Program (a free service):

• Identify the need and explain benefits of autism/special need programs
• Create an plan of incorporation
• Getting support from members of the place of worship and assist in recruiting
• Develop relationships with the autism/special need families
• Provide lesson plans
• Overcoming obstacles and support for managing the stages of development

The “Keep The Faith” Program will also provide those in the autism/special needs community with a directory of places of worship that have autism/special need programs.

The “Keep The Faith” Program will let the autism/special needs community know that there is a place of worship for everyone.