Autism and the church: A case study of the experiences of four children with autism in the Evangelical Church.

摘要

Autism affects 1 in 68 children according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC, 2014). Research suggests that church attendance and believing in God helps parents cope with children with autism and improve quality of life (Lee, Harrington, Louie and Newschaffer, 2008). Attending church can be difficult for families with children with autism. The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of children with autism in church settings in order to better address their needs. This study takes a qualitative approach and it is a case study of four children with autism.;Data for this research project was collected between the summer of 2015 and winter of 2016. The data included both observations and interviews. The sample was a purposeful sample that included four boys who were all diagnosed with autism who attended four different churches within 30 miles of Los Angeles County. There were 23 observations and 11 interviews collected.;Five themes arose from the observations and interviews. These included church resources, classroom participation, communication, community, and barriers. There were also 13 subthemes. These themes and subthemes served to answer the four research questions established for this research regarding the advantages and disadvantages of both fully included programs and segregated classrooms in a church setting.;The study also included a Biblical Integration chapter that further helped to answer the question of how churches can better serve this population of children.;To conclude the study offered several implications and recommendations to four different groups in the church: those preparing pastors, pastors, church volunteers, parents and the overall church body. In summary, Chapter One addressed the importance of this study. Chapter Two provided the literature review. Chapter Three addressed Biblical Integration. Chapter Four outlined the research design. Chapter Five provided specifics about the observations and interviews. Chapter Six provided the data analysis of findings. Lastly, Chapter Seven provided recommendations, implications, and conclusions.