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Reflections on Autistic Love
Abstract
This article reflects on the question of what a Christian theology of love looks like when we take seriously the experiences of people on the autistic spectrum. The essay offers a practical exegesis of the nature of Christian love which takes seriously the broad range of possibilities that rotate around the practice of love. The article explores in some detail why it is that Western people (Christians and non-Christians) have come to think about love and relationality in quite particular ways and what it might mean for our theology and practice if we were to begin to look at love differently through the lens of autistic love. It concludes with a practical theology of love which seeks to be inclusive of all of love’s diverse possibilities.
... So much pastoral theology is rooted in pathologizing clinical theories of autism (Bustion, 2017), dominated by outdated representations of me as an absent self (e.g. Brock, 2019;Cox, 2017;Dearey, 2009;Deeley, 2009;Dubin & Graetz, 2009;Evers, 2017;Hauerwas, 2013;Lewis, 2009;Swinton, 2012). Scientific abstractions distance philosophical concepts from people (O'Dell et al., 2016;Yergeau, 2013); I read far more debate about autism and what it means for neurotypical people than I hear autistic people's perspectives (e.g. ...
... I still see more than a hint of the instrumental use (Hull, 2014) of autistic people in theology, as though we are here to bring the rest of the church closer to God (e.g. Barclay, 2008;Brock, 2009;Hills et al., 2019;Shrier, 2018;Swinton, 2012;Tam, 2022). 21 I read that I may need to repent of using my autistic identity as an excuse for my different ways of being (Macaskill, 2019, p. 436)-reminding me of years of judgment from fellow Christians, whose comfort has been disrupted by my difference (Spies, 2021)-but rarely do I read theology calling for neurotypical Christians to repent of the systemic exclusion of neurodivergent people from their churches. ...
... And on all divergent neurotypes other than autism-ADHD, dyspraxia, dyslexia, Tourette's Syndrome-academic theology is largely silent. 28 Instead, theology imagines churches as ideal Christian communities where neurodivergent people will find welcome and friendship (Brock, 2019;Burnett, 2021;Swinton, 2012;Tam, 2022). Yet I read few stories of neurodivergent people like me, who have been traumatized and alienated by church communities. ...
[Full text cannot be uploaded to ResearchGate due to journal embargo, but the text is available open access at https://naomilawsonjacobs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Manuscript_Speaking-With-Us-Not-For-Us.pdf ]
To belong in the Christian tradition, we must be able to contribute to it. Yet neurodivergent Christians have rarely been enabled to tell our own stories about ourselves as a vital part of God’s (neuro)diverse creation. In common with other autism research, academic theology is framed by pathologizing clinical paradigms of autism; neurodivergent people’s situated knowledge about ourselves has not always been valued in the field. In this aut-ethnography, I use reflections from a decade of engaging with autism theology – often a painful experience of Othering – to frame a response informed by critical autism and neurodiversity studies. Drawing on lived theology from autistic research participants, I consider what our neurodiversity theologies have to offer to academic theology. Finally, I ask how theologians can do justly by speaking with, not for, neurodivergent people.
... The first theological publications emerged in the first decade of the twenty-first century, preceded by some publications on spirituality and autism, and only in the past couple of years has there been an increase in publications (Stillman 2006; the collection of essays edited by Swinton and Trevett 2009;Gillibrand 2010;Bogdashina 2013;Macaskill 2019;Rapley 2021a;Tam 2021;Bowman 2021). Notably, some articles have been published in this journal (Barber 2011;Swinton 2012;Harshaw 2012;Howell 2015;Hills, Clapton, and Dorsett 2019;Burnett 2021;Rapley 2021b). ...
Theological reflection on autism is a fairly recent development, although several practical resources for churches seeking to be inclusive of autistic people have been published since 2011. Even so, the emerging discussion lacks concrete examples and analyses of churches that practice inclusion and belonging. This article fills this gap by describing and analysing a church in Singapore, the Chapel of Christ our Hope, where autistic people are central. Themes that were identified in the fieldwork with this church were their ecclesiology (including a theology of belonging that strongly influences all this church does), the way autism reveals the meaning of liturgy, autistic participation, caring for differing needs, and different views of autism. The case study is not meant as a blueprint for churches to follow, but offers practical-theological insights for churches that want to create places of belonging for autistic and non-autistic people alike.
... 31 Swinton's theology is based on an understanding that God is an accepting and loving Father who knows us, and because of that, he remembers each individual. 32 This accepting Father does not set conditions or require deeds. This holistic acceptance makes Swinton's model important for Theology of Encounter in the present world of numerous demands. ...
The aim of this article is to analyse the relationship between theory and practice and the role of theology in this discussion. The data is formed from writings of prominent scholars who are active in the International Association of Practical Theology (IAPT). The relationship between theory and practice is crucial when we try to answer what role theology has when studying practices. Nordic Practical Theology has traditionally studied pastoral care, liturgy and homiletics in the majority Lutheran contexts. However, today there is a need to expand to various faith communities and a wider variety of practices. This new research has to acknowledge the changed pluralistic context and how it challenges the role of religion/religions in the Nordic societies and how it challenges theological studies as well. Emerging topics in the Nordic context are connected with the pluralistic context in changing Nordic societies, with sexuality/gender as well as with issues connected with rituals. All of these topics connect practice and theory together and require deep theological reflection in which embodiment is acknowledged. My model, Theology of Encounter, is an example of theological reflection over a central religious practice of counselling.
... In this case, neurotypical love is the most legitimate and valued, and it is perceived as reflective of 'true humanness'. 18 Berlant's approach is to criticise both the pursuit of love itself as a dominant cultural norm, as well as analysing the normative expressions it takes. In copyright. ...
In popular media, autistic subjectivity is most often produced through the lens of the neurotypical gaze. Dominant understandings of autism therefore tend to focus on perceived deficits in social communication and relationships. Accordingly, this article has two primary concerns. First, it uses the Danish/Swedish television series The Bridge (Bron/Broen, 2011–2018) and critical responses to the series as examples of how the neurotypical gaze operates, concentrating on the pleasures derived from looking at autism, how autism is ‘fixed’ (Frantz Fanon, 1986) as a socially undesirable subject position, and the self-interested focus of the gaze. Second, it analyses key scenes from the series to expose and challenge the dominance of the neurotypical perspective in scholarly accounts of autistic sexuality and relationality. Using Lauren Berlant’s (2012) work on love, I argue that the non-normative ways of being constructed by the series do not fit easily within neuroconventional frameworks of love and desire. Consequently, autistic expressions of love are rendered both undesirable and illegible to the neurotypical gaze. The article therefore offers a flexible framework for understanding how the neurotypical gaze functions across cultural and academic spheres and gives vital insight into how autistic love and relationships are narratively constructed.
... In the context of people with nonverbal autism, thought and discussion is relevant concerning how God's image is supported within people who hold relational, social and communication differences. It has been suggested that the relational element of humanness most reflects the image of God (Barth quoted in Harshaw 2012), which holds implications for people with autism, who are thought to be incapable of meaningful, empathic relationships (Harshaw 2012;Swinton 2012b). This discussion argues that relationality is another personal and subjective element of humanness, that should not be characterised by societal expectations of 'normality'. ...
Traditionally, religious practices and teaching provide guidance for spiritual awareness. The concept of Imago Dei is fundamental to religious and theological belief, however its relevance to people with disabilities is debated. This paper underpins a broader research study exploring the spirituality of people unable to express a belief or understanding of orthodox religion. This will be explored alongside people with severe autism, who are unable to communicate verbally. Spirituality adopts a characteristic language, often expressed by music, metaphor or symbolism. Therefore, a spirituality that is not dependent on language for expression or validation amongst people with nonverbal autism is likely. Currently no research exists that explores the spirituality of this population, which has serious implications concerning the adequacy of current service provision and their inclusion into faith communities. In light of the growing numbers of autism diagnoses, the spiritual needs and expressions of this population require urgent attention.
Beauty and the horrid have mirroring effects on the conscious and subconscious human gaze and instinctive desires. Beauty may draw human desires to be realised in presence, connection, and relationship. The horrid may draw the primal instinct of disgust to be realised in alienation, disconnection, and annihilation. In the space between the object of desire/disgust and realising of ethics exists imagination – that which we conceive could be. How do these aesthetic instincts impact Christian ethics towards disability and impairment? The first part of this practical theology draws from the social sciences to describe an aesthetic of disability and how, in conjunction with disgust theory, leads to instinctual responses towards markers of impairment. The instinctual responses are described, theorised, and analysed in both secular and Christian settings to tease out an ethics of disgust built on ableism and its impact towards Christian mission and ministry. This ethic is then critiqued and challenged by disability studies, Levinasian theory, and wider Christian ethics. The second part of this paper proposes that the necessary turn for Christian ethics in recultivating love in the midst of disgust is through recapturing affections. Building on the Augustinian tradition, the consideration of beauty is returned from anthropology to trinitarian theology and missio Dei. In so doing, beauty is reconceived as that which participates, reflects, and points towards God’s beauty. Missio Dei is a participation in the beauty of God in creation and redemption, and shapes the Christian ethical imagination, challenging moral, cultural, visual, and ableist prejudices and preferences in ministry and mission. As the people of God, empowered by the Spirit and incorporated into Christ, our desires can be (re)formed to see the beauty of God in Christ ‘play in ten thousand places’.
In this article I propose that autistic cognitive ‘distinctives’ may give rise to differences in understanding of the Bible, with implications for the church. Through a survey of available literature, I have concluded that there is little help available in how to support the cognitive engagement with their churches of adult autistic worshippers who do not have learning difficulties. Using a qualitative case-study of nine adult autistic worshippers, I explore ways in which the participants’ understanding of, and approach to, the Bible differ from those of their churches and congregations, the resulting level of risk to cognitive engagement with their churches, and their mitigation of this risk. In the present paper I discuss my findings from this study. Finally, I use suggestions made by study participants to formulate outline requirements for a potential Prototype Engagement Model for churches as a starting point for dialogue. These recommendations include proposals for deepening a church’s understanding of autism and ways of providing help with Biblical interpretation and application, together with support for ‘talking through’ concerns arising within an autistic context.
The experience and reflections of people on the autism spectrum act as a “context of discovery” about human communication and agency, in conversation with a robust theological account drawn from Paul’s depiction of personhood in relationship to sin and salvation. I claim that autism is not an exception to understanding the self as a self-in-relation; it is a unique and therefore illuminating instantiation of self-in-relation. The testimonies of autistic people render visible two key aspects of human personhood that are shared by both so-called “neurotypical” and “non-neurotypical” people: the priority of embodied interpersonal connection for the development of human communication and agency, and the risk and vulnerability of such connection.
A family member with disabilities is usually moved to full-time residential care when a crisis occurs in the home. Alternatively, this paper creates criteria to decide if a family member ought to be moved before a crisis occurs. The quality of relationships in the home and the likelihood that crises will occur are determined by both caregiver mental health and the behaviors of the person with disabilities. Improving caregiver mental health can keep more persons with disabilities at home. A biopsychosocial-spiritual model of healthcare, John Wesley’s sermon “On Family Religion,” and caregiver health research are used to construct effective criteria.
In recent years, joy has received renewed attention as a central theological concept. However, voices from lived experience are largely lacking in this discussion. This article studies the question of what joy looks like and what its essence is in one particular exemplar of joy, i.e., the L’Arche communities. Based on fieldwork, which included participant observation and interviews in four L’Arche communities, as well as an interview with the founder of L’Arche, Jean Vanier, this article proposes a practical-theological phenomenology of joy.
People with severe (nonverbal) autism are considerably under-researched and misunderstood. This is despite the number of diagnoses growing at epidemic proportions. Approximately 30% of people with autism are placed on the severe end of the spectrum, demonstrating social communication issues and severe speech deficits. This paper provides a reflection concerning the findings of a research study that explored the spirituality of people with barriers to traditional religious exposure, through the context of people with nonverbal autism. Spirituality and autism is a relatively new discipline, with scant information available pertaining to those with severe autism. Yet the humanness of this group, underpinned by the theological premise that values all people as carriers of the Imago Dei, is worthy of consideration. The traditional mystical disciplines of silence and solitude as enhancing spiritual awareness are explored alongside the life context that accompanies severe autism. Heightened sensitivity to sensory input typical of the condition is thought to be relevant to more subjective perceptions such as atmospheric changes and spiritual aptitude. Research data relaying unusual spiritual perception and experiences were confirmed by a number of works authored by people with nonverbal autism. This suggests the possibility that the life context of this population can be seen as conducive to spiritual aptitude rather than as a neurological deficit.
This article discusses personhood as an object of commitment and forgiveness in the spouses of people living with mental illness. Mental illness makes divorce more likely but qualitative research about commitment and forgiveness in spouses of people with mental illness is scant. The personhood of a mentally ill partner is also rarely discussed. I conducted 16 semi-structured narrative interviews with Finnish spouses and partners. The data was analysed using a narrative perspective. The results show that in commitment and forgiveness, personhood is crucial. The article employs two perspectives on personhood: Pamela Cooper-White's theological concept of relational and multiple self and the folk belief in the ‘true self’. They represent traditions with both polarizing and integrative elements; in commitment and forgiveness, both views of personhood were present. The results emphasize the need to protect the inherent goodness of people living with mental illness in the eyes of their spouses.
The following work advocates for the inclusion of individuals with developmental disabilities into the observance of the Eucharist. It utilizes Paul’s comments in 1 Cor 11:17–34 as a basis to suggest that the Lord’s Supper is practiced to a community’s detriment if some believers are marginalized. The author goes on to explore disability theology, and how a proper understanding of disabilities should lead to a communal experience of the Eucharist. It is concluded with a final exhortation for churches and their leaders to begin conversations centering around practical inclusion of persons with developmental disabilities.
This article begins as a response to Julian Raffay’s exploration of spiritual assessment and care based upon the assessment tool HOPE (JHCC 12.2). It draws upon experience and research in spirituality and religion in the South West of the UK, comparing it with other research and publications. It recounts how research by and amongst mental health service users, professionals and religious leaders reveals important aspects of spiritual and religious care for people with mental health problems. Recent publications confirm the importance of user-led research and practice for their spiritual care and wellbeing. It is an invitation to join this conversation.
This brief article surveys the interaction of law and religion from biblical times until today.
The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule—Generic (ADOS-G) is a semistructured, standardized assessment of social interaction, communication, play, and imaginative use of materials for individuals suspected of having autism spectrum disorders. The observational schedule consists of four 30-minute modules, each designed to be administered to different individuals according to their level of expressive language. Psychometric data are presented for 223 children and adults with Autistic Disorder (autism), Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDDNOS) or nonspectrum diagnoses. Within each module, diagnostic groups were equivalent on expressive language level. Results indicate substantial interrater and test—retest reliability for individual items, excellent interrater reliability within domains and excellent internal consistency. Comparisons of means indicated consistent differentiation of autism and PDDNOS from nonspectrum individuals, with some, but less consistent, differentiation of autism from PDDNOS. A priori operationalization of DSM-IV/ICD-10 criteria, factor analyses, and ROC curves were used to generate diagnostic algorithms with thresholds set for autism and broader autism spectrum/PDD. Algorithm sensitivities and specificities for autism and PDDNOS relative to nonspectrum disorders were excellent, with moderate differentiation of autism from PDDNOS.
We argue that there will be no single (genetic or cognitive) cause for the diverse symptoms defining autism. We present recent evidence of behavioral fractionation of social impairment, communication difficulties and rigid and repetitive behaviors. Twin data suggest largely nonoverlapping genes acting on each of these traits. At the cognitive level, too, attempts at a single explanation for the symptoms of autism have failed. Implications for research and treatment are discussed.
The theory of mind account of autism has been remarkably successful in making specific predictions about the impairments in socialization, imagination and communication shown by people with autism. It cannot, however, explain either the non-triad features of autism, or earlier experimental findings of abnormal assets and deficits on non-social tasks. These unexplained aspects of autism, and the existence of autistic individuals who consistently pass false belief tasks, suggest that it may be necessary to postulate an additional cognitive abnormality. One possible abnormality - weak central coherence - is discussed, and preliminary evidence for this theory is presented.
Oliver Sacks MD, Clinical Professor of Neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, talked with Anthony Freeman during his visit to London in January 1995 to publicize his recently published book An Anthropologist on Mars. The interview is preceded by an overview of the book
The ten years since preparation of the first edition have seen dramatic growth in the fields of theory of mind, autism, and cognitive neuroscience. Extensively revised and including all new chapters, this new edition includes a whole section on the cognitive neuroscience of 'mind-reading', bringing together varied research methods such as functional neuro-imaging, single-cell recording, and neuropsychology. In addition, there is expanded coverage of primate studies and the evolution of a theory of mind, and new information relating theory of mind in clinical populations other than autism, such as schizophrenia. The original section on normal development has been updated, as has the debate over the relationship between theory of mind deficits and autism.
Understanding Other Minds: perspectives from Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, second edition, is the key sourcebook for this important area, which attracts researchers and clinicians in psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience, and primatology. The new material in this edition ensures that it is essential reading for these groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Autism fiction has become a genre of novel-writing in its own right. Many examples are given in the essay. What does this activity do for us? There used to be no language in which autistic experience could be described. One characteristic difficulty for autistic people is understanding what other people are doing. So absence of a discourse of autistic experience is to be expected. Analyses advanced by Wolfgang Köhler and Lev Vygotsky already made plain long ago that social interaction is a precondition for a language of the inner life. One role for the wave of autism stories now being published, is to create such a language of autism. This in turn affects how autistic people think of themselves. It certainly affects how nonautistic, “neurotypical,” individuals think about autism. Not all of this is a good thing, for all too many stories foster images of “the” autistic person as having special gifts that ordinary people lack.
Over the last three decades there has been a great outpouring of writings from both Catholic and Protestant theologians on the doctrine of the Trinity, almost all of which, ironically, have lamented the neglect of the doctrine. Again and again one reads that although the Trinity is central and crucially important to Christianity and Christian theology, it has not been given adequate treatment. It is unacceptable, theologians protest, that the Trinity has come to be regarded as an obscure and complex theological technicality, a piece of celestial mathematics impossible to understand and with little relevance to the life of the ordinary Christian. Karl Rahner remarked that modern Christians were ‘almost mere “monotheists’” paying lip service to the Trinity but in practice ignoring it. If it were announced that the dogma had been a mistake and was to be erased from official Christianity, nobody, he thought, would be too bothered, neither the ordinary believing Christians nor the authors of theological textbooks.’ Rahner’s diagnosis has been widely accepted and widely regretted. The consensus is that the Trinity is at the heart of Christianity, and both theology and piety have gone astray if it is regarded as belonging to the specialists. A retrieval (it is believed) is needed: the Trinity must be understood once again (one reads) as a positive and central element in the Christian faith rather than an embarrassing obscurity, and as profoundly relevant to the life of individual Christians, to the life of the Church, and perhaps beyond.
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