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Category Archives: Hidden Disabilities
People You Should Know: Dr. Matthew Stanford
One of my goals for this blog and for Inclusion Fusion is to expose leaders with an interest in disability ministry to other leaders with unique interests and competencies that can help us better understand the challenges we face and the needs of the kids and families we serve. One such leader is Dr. Matthew Stanford from Baylor University, who has graciously agreed to be interviewed for the blog today. Part Two will run on Thursday.
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Lessons For Church Leaders in “Medication Nation”
This past Friday, we looked at statistics from Medco Health Solutions demonstrating that more than one in five U.S. adults (and more than one in four women) take medication on a regular basis for a mental health condition. The percentage of the U.S. population taking psychotropic medication has increased 22% in the last ten years. Today, I’ll share a few thoughts on why church leaders should care about the data.
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Kids With Aggressive Behavior at Church…How Can Parents Help?
Parents of kids at risk for aggressive behavior have responsibilities they should meet in order for everyone (their child, other children, volunteers and church staff) to have a God-honoring experience that promotes Kingdom building and spiritual growth. Here are four steps parents can take to help improve the likelihood their child will be safely and successfully included in church programming and activities… Continue reading
Kids With Aggressive Behavior…What’s it Like For Their Parents?
Bottom line…families of kids with maladaptive aggression have lots of needs. They need a welcoming church where they can grow spiritually so that they can fulfill their responsibilities as the primary faith trainers to their other children. They have relational needs. They need Christian community, but they also need time to build their relationships with one another. They also need a place where they feel accepted. Continue reading
Church…A Hostile Environment? (Part Two) Harmony Hensley
I would encourage you to take a two pronged approach to making your church a more welcoming environment for families and kids impacted by disability.
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When are kids most at risk of aggressive behavior at church?
Most kids who display aggressive behavior serious enough in terms of frequency and/or severity to be of concern to church staff and volunteers will meet the criteria for one or more mental health or developmental disorders. Nevertheless, children’s and youth ministry staff and volunteers need to take steps to minimize antecedents to aggressive behavior without specific information about a child’s diagnosis or treatment. Continue reading
Posted in Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Ministry Environments, Strategies
Tagged aggressive behavior at church, children's ministry, Chuck Swindoll, executive functioning, Harmony Hensley, Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Inclusion Fusion, Jeff McNair, Jeremy Collins, Katie Wetherbee, Key Ministry, Marie Kuch, Shannon Dingle, youth ministry
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More thoughts on disruptive kids
There are far, far more kids who struggle with ‘doing church” because of disruptive behavior than there are kids recognized with a special need who struggle to do church. Continue reading
What Do We Know About Kids at Risk of Behaving Aggressively?
The most important take home point is that there’s a pretty good chance kids who struggle with aggressive behavior at church have some condition that predisposes them to act that way or have been victims of such behavior themselves.
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Posted in Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry
Tagged ADHD, anxiety, Autism, Bipolar Disorder, Key Ministry, maladaptive aggression, PTSD
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Building from a pretty good first year
When we conceptualized this blog, our intent was to help folks in the church understand common emotional and behavioral conditions that hinder kids and their families from connecting in a local church where they can come to faith or grow in faith in Christ. We wanted to develop a resource to help the church understand the “what” and the “why” of hidden disabilities, with Katie’s complimentary blog addressing the practical “how” of including kids with hidden disabilities into ministry environments. As our first year of the blogs draws to a close, we’re pondering ways to improve upon the foundation we’ve established. Continue reading
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