Fruit…Guest Post from Rebecca Hamilton

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Dr. G

I’m delighted to share our first guest post from Rebecca Hamilton, Key Ministry’s Executive Director and the glue that holds our team together. In addition to her role with our team, Rebecca serves as a volunteer member of the leadership team of the Breathe Respite Ministry at her home church. Here’s a story from Rebecca of a contact that promises to recapture territory for God’s Kingdom in Northwest Pennsylvania.

Once I crossed the border into western Pennsylvania, the terrain turned almost immediately more hilly, the roads more winding.  The town center of this small, charming town had its post office, restaurant, hardware store, and watering hole, all nestled around a few traffic lights. As I continued through town and reached the church that was my ultimate destination, I had still only travelled a little over an hour from Key Ministry’s offices in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland.

The volunteers and staff members with whom I would meet once I arrived proved to be an incredibly ambitious bunch. They were interested in providing respite care at their church for kids with special needs as an act of worship and outreach in their rural community. They found us on the internet and called to get information about how to begin the process. This is one of my favorite parts of my job.  I’ve been able to volunteer at my own church to help with its respite outreach, and  I see first-hand what an incredible blessing it is to the families we serve.  I see how God uses us to reach out to those in need, so I love when I’m able to share some of the things we’ve learned with others.

In our first meeting, I was asked to provide a brief overview of respite care….the what, why, and how of making it happen.  In a meeting of this sort, I would typically expect to meet a group of perhaps 6-10 passionate Christians who want to make this dream a reality for their church. What I found instead was over 50 people who were ready and willing to serve once they learned how to proceed. This was my first inkling that this church meant business! They were kicking butt and taking names for the Kingdom, and I was delighted to be along for the ride!

We covered all the specifics that night; I fielded a few phone calls and e-mails with last-minute questions before these proverbial little birds were ready to fly. Their first respite night is coming up this Friday, and once a month thereafter.  I can’t wait to hear all the stories that will come from their sincere desire to serve their community for Christ. I’m privileged to have been a small part of what I know will shine a bright, pure light toward Christ. Please join us in praying for their efforts, and for the efforts of every church that wants to serve in this way.  His love is amazing!

Posted in Key Ministry, Stories | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

We do disruptive kids

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Dr. G

I was up at the church that my family regularly attends this past Sunday night for middle school ministry parent orientation. At one point in the meeting the ministry director made a plea for more male volunteers. Apparently, there was a group of seven boys in one particular grade last year who struggled greatly with self-control during Sunday evening programming and small groups. As the discussion progressed, one of the adult leaders suggested that we might have kids stay home for a few weeks who “didn’t have a heart for the Lord” as evidenced by their behavior at church.

The meeting has continued to bother me for a variety of reasons. Before I get into this, let me first state that our church has an excellent middle school ministry and I was at the meeting because I strongly support the participation of our youngest daughter, who recently started seventh grade.

I know about the circumstances of a couple of kids in question and their behavior at church has absolutely nothing to do with their “heart for the Lord.” I’m very troubled by the propensity of so many in the church to assume kids with challenges in self-regulation and their parents have spiritual problems. And even if they did, aren’t those the folks the church is supposed to be helping?

After the meeting, I went up to one of our middle school small group leaders who currently serves with me on our Elder Board and explained that this is exactly the type of situation our Key Ministry team helps churches to address. Maybe the environment when they first arrive on Sunday night is overstimulating? Maybe the music’s too loud? Maybe that group of boys is more wired for serving as opposed to talking? They might do better having their group discussion while loading boxes on a truck at the food bank as opposed to sitting around in a circle in stackable chairs. Maybe they’re better able to process for briefer periods of time in more mentoring-type relationships? The light bulb went on and he totally “got it.”

Here’s what I’ve been stewing about since Sunday…maybe you can help?

Since the inception of Key Ministry, we’ve struggled to come up with the right words to describe to churches how we’re able to help. We’ve used the term “hidden disabilities” to describe the conditions the kids experience. You’ve probably heard that we’re hosting a Special Needs Ministry Web Summit in November. But having the right words really matters.

It never dawned on anyone in our middle school ministry to seek the help of any of the folks from our disability ministry because they didn’t conceptualize the kids who were exhibiting disruptive behavior as having a disability. Nor did anyone in the middle school ministry think of calling us because they wouldn’t have thought of those kids as having a special need. My guess is that when folks look at seventh grade boys who lack self-control in a church setting, the mental model with which they’re most likely to approach them is the thought that they “lack a heart for the Lord.”

At Key Ministry, we do “disruptive kids.” How do we let the church world know?

Interested in joining a bunch of folks who are passionate about families of kids with special needs coming to know and love Jesus Christ?  An event in which any church leader, volunteer or parent anywhere in the world who shares the same passion and has access to the Internet through a computer, tablet or smart phone can join in? That’s Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry’s First Annual Special Needs Ministry Web Summit, featuring this year’s Keynote Speaker, Chuck Swindoll. And it’s all available to you for free! Register here for the Special Needs Ministry Web Summit, coming this November 3rd-5th.

Posted in Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry, Stories | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

What Do We Know About Kids at Risk of Behaving Aggressively?

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Dr. G

Not all aggressive behavior is bad. Was Jesus aggressive when He started flipping over the tables used by the merchants and the money changers at the temple in Jerusalem?

Maladaptive aggression is aggressive behavior that occurs outside an acceptable social context. Such aggression may be characterized by an intensity, frequency, duration and severity disproportionate to its causes. The behavior may occur in the absence of antecedent social cues and may not be terminated within the expected time frame, or in response to feedback. Because of the context in which the behavior occurs, aggressive behavior at church will almost always be viewed as maladaptive.

Research has suggested that kids at risk of behaving aggressively

  • Have more school adjustment problems than anticipated
  • Have higher rates of peer rejection and victimization
  • Experience difficulty in ambiguous interpersonal situations, struggle in reading emotion in the facial expressions of others and are more likely to read neutral facial expressions negatively
  • Often experience poor peer relationships and deficits in problem solving by the age of four
  • 21% of children with impulsive aggression are reported to have been victims of physical abuse 
We also know that maladaptive aggression is commonly seen among kids with significant mental health disorders. Among those disorders are…        
             
ADHD: Kids with ADHD frequently experience difficulties with impulse control and/or emotional self-regulation, resulting in aggressive behavior.                                                          

Bipolar Disorder: The vast preponderance of kids with bipolar disorder will also have ADHD. During mood episodes, their experience of irritability and capacity for self-control may be markedly worse than their typical day to day functioning.

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Kids with spectrum disorders frequently exhibit difficulties similar to those seen in ADHD. They also frequently experience cognitive rigidity, inflexibility and perseveration that can lead to internal distress and aggressive behavior, especially during times of transition.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Kids who have been victims of aggressive behavior are more likely to demonstrate aggression toward others.

Anxiety Disorders: Kids with anxiety may behave aggressively as a result of their predisposition to misinterpret the level of threat or danger in their immediate environment.

Iatrogenic Causes: Not infrequently, the medication used to treat one condition may exacerbate a child’s propensity for aggressive behavior. We occasionally see this in kids with anxiety or autism spectrum disorders being treated with stimulants. Certain anxiety medications can result in disinhibited behavior.

Aggression often co-occurs with specific disorders, but may not be ameliorated by medications used to treat those disorders.

Our job as church isn’t to diagnose, but it’s important to note that many different conditions may predispose kids to aggressive behavior. If church staff/volunteers are aware of a diagnosis (assuming the diagnosis is accurate) or observe patterns of behavior consistent with a diagnosis, one might begin to anticipate situations when the risk of aggressive behavior may be heightened and strategize ways of pre-empting the behavior. More on that later.

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.

They sound like kids who could certainly benefit from the opportunity to experience the love of Christ through a local church, don’t they?

Interested in joining a bunch of folks who are passionate about families of kids with special needs coming to know and love Jesus Christ?  An event in which any church leader, volunteer or parent anywhere in the world who shares the same passion and has access to the Internet through a computer, tablet or smart phone can join in? That’s Inclusion Fusion, Key Ministry’s First Annual Special Needs Ministry Web Summit, featuring this year’s Keynote Speaker, Chuck Swindoll. And it’s all available to you for free! Register here for the Special Needs Ministry Web Summit, coming this November 3rd-5th.

Posted in Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Beyond Zero Tolerance: When Kids Behave Aggressively at Church

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Dr. G

Our blog series for Fall will take an in-depth look at issues and challenges that arise in ministry with kids who demonstrate aggressive behavior at church. We’ll kick off the series by examining why this topic is so vexing for church staff, volunteers and parents.

Four years ago, when I was in Washington D.C. to work on a project for the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry I took a break and went out to McLean Bible Church to pick Jackie Mills-Fernald’s brain. Jackie heads up McLean’s remarkable Access Ministry, was very involved in the development of Jill’s House respite facility, and hosts the church’s enormously popular Accessibility Summit. I’d asked Jackie if there were specific topics or ministry concerns where our team could develop new training or address an unmet need. Her response was for us to put together a workshop for the 2008 Accessibility Summit on the topic of serving kids with aggressive behavior at church. Katie Wetherbee (then a Key Ministry volunteer) and I led that first workshop. Based upon the attendance, we knew Jackie had truly touched on a significant concern among folks serving in children’s, youth and disability ministry.

Why is this such a hot topic? Here are a few thoughts…

Serving kids who become aggressive is messy. It’s not pleasant getting hit or bit. Kids who exhibit aggressive behavior probably aren’t going to say “Thank You” or give you a hug at the end of the morning. Working with a kid who regularly becomes aggressive doesn’t make for the most satisfying volunteer experience. And what church leader wants to run the risk of losing committed volunteers?

Kids with aggressive behavior don’t do what they’re supposed to. Their most troublesome behaviors can easily be conceptualized (sometimes, incorrectly) as sin. Their behavior doesn’t fit with our expectations for how kids are supposed to behave at church.

Kids who behave aggressively evoke fear…fear for yourself, fear for the safety of other kids in your ministry environments, fear of the reaction from parents of other kids exposed to troublesome behavior, fear of liability and fear of possible responses from church leaders.

Kids with aggressive behavior expose our judgmental nature. It’s hard for church staff and volunteers to work with kids with disruptive or aggressive behavior without at least occasionally making assumptions about the parents. Unfortunately, parents of kids with disabilities are exquisitely sensitive to the perception of being judged at church.

Kids who behave aggressively take us out of our comfort zone. They violate our sense of being in control…and I’ve met more than a few church leaders who really like being in control. They force church staff and volunteers to re-evaluate everything about what we’re doing…the content of our programming, the environments in which we do ministry, the way we train volunteers, and the outcomes we desire when working with families. They force us to think. A lot.

I’ve saved this topic until now because the challenges kids present when they routinely exhibit aggressive behavior can be extraordinarily complex. Kids with aggressive behavior are among the most challenging patients in my practice. Not all kids who behave aggressively necessarily have disabilities. But I don’t see anywhere in the Bible where Jesus gives us a pass on our responsibility to share His love or the Gospel with kids prone to act aggressively and their families. So let’s get to work in exploring how we can do a better job of including kids vulnerable to aggression into our ministry environments while maintaining the safety of those environments for all kids, staff and volunteers.

Here’s what we plan to cover…

What do we know about kids at risk for behaving aggressively?

Why kids might become aggressive at church

When are kids most at risk for aggressive behavior at church?

Strategies for maintaining safe environments

Tips for Sunday School teachers and youth leaders

The ABC’s of intervention when kids become aggressive

Just one more thing…

Put yourself in the parents’ shoes

What can parents do to help?

Thinking outside the box…what if the risks are too great for a child to come to church?

Tuesday: What do we know about kids at risk for behaving aggressively?

***********************************************************************************************************

KM_ForFamilies_Logo_Color_RGBKey Ministry helps connect churches and families of kids with disabilities for the purpose of making disciples of Jesus Christ. In order to provide the free training, consultation, resources and support we offer every day to church leaders and family members, we depend upon the prayers and generous financial support of readers like you. Please pray for the work of our ministry and consider, if able, to support us financially!

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Announcing our Keynote Speaker for Inclusion Fusion 2011…Chuck Swindoll

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Dr. G

Our entire staff and volunteer team at Key Ministry is thrilled to announce that Chuck Swindoll has graciously accepted our invitation to serve as the Keynote speaker for Inclusion Fusion, our inaugural Special Needs Ministry Web Summit, to be held on November 3rd-5th.

Chuck has been among the most influential Bible teachers and Christian leaders of the past half century. His teaching is broadcast on over 2,000 radio stations around the world in seven different languages. He is the author of over seventy titles, including The Church Awakening, Embraced by the Spirit and The Grace Awakening.

Chuck currently serves as the Chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary, after having served as President of the seminary from 1994-2001. He continues to serve as the founding pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas. Stonebriar is home to a highly regarded special needs ministry.

Chuck and his team at Insight For Living have had a longstanding interest in ministry to families of kids with special needs. Members of our Key Ministry team have had many conversations with IFL staff over the past six or seven years around areas where our organizations might collaborate. Stonebriar Church had published one of the earliest comprehensive guides to church-based special needs ministry (no longer in print). Chuck did a series of radio broadcasts years ago with his daughter, Colleen about the impact of his grandson’s symptoms of autism on their family. Over the last few years, Colleen has joined the staff at Insight as Director of Special Needs Ministry, where she has developed a very popular ministry through her blog and other online resources. Colleen graciously served as our guest blogger this past April for Autism Awareness Day.

We’re thrilled that Chuck and Colleen have volunteered to be a part of Inclusion Fusion. We hope you’ll want to join us for this free event. For registration information, click here.

Interested in joining a bunch of folks who are passionate about families of kids with special needs coming to know and love Jesus Christ?  An event in which any church leader, volunteer or parent anywhere in the world who shares the same passion and has access to the Internet through a computer, tablet or smart phone can join in? That’s Inclusion Fusion. Register here for the Special Needs Ministry Web Summit, coming this November 3rd-5th.

Posted in Inclusion Fusion | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Fruit…Chapter One

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Dr. G

If you build it, they will come.

Amanda Mooney from St. Gabriel’s Church in Concord, Ohio sent the following e-mail out to elementary school families registered at the church last week:

Within the first 24 hours of sending the message, Amanda was contacted by six different families wanting to communicate information about their children, including one family that hadn’t been involved with the church for two years. This same full-page announcement was included in their church bulletin for weekend services this past Saturday and Sunday, with the hope that additional families will benefit from the supports in place there.

Way to go, St. Gabe’s! Keep us posted on your progress as more families are drawn to the church through your efforts.

If you’d like to share your experiences of God working through the efforts of your ministry, send me an e-mail at steve@keyministry.org.

Interested in joining a bunch of folks who are passionate about families of kids with special needs coming to know and love Jesus Christ?  An event in which any church leader, volunteer or parent anywhere in the world who shares the same passion and has access to the Internet through a computer, tablet or smart phone can join in? That’s Inclusion Fusion. Register here for the Special Needs Ministry Web Summit, coming this November 3rd-5th.


Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Building from a pretty good first year

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Dr. G

Time flies when you’re having fun!

September 12 will mark the first anniversary of the official launch of Church4EveryChild. This blog, along with Diving for Pearls, was established as part of a comprehensive social media plan our Key Ministry team began work on in 2009 in order to make our ministry resources more available on the Web.

The response to our blogs, website and Facebook page have blown away all of our expectations. I’m thankful to everyone who has made this incredible expansion of our ministry’s impact possible…our guest bloggers, subscribers, those who have taken the time to comment on the blog and friends who have forwarded links to our content to interested church leaders, volunteers and parents.

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. You can see Katie’s thoughts on the future direction of Diving For Pearls here.

When I looked back on the stats for our first year…I’m occasionally referred to as “Data Man” at our team meetings…here’s what attracted the greatest interest from our readers:

Guest bloggers…readers clearly demonstrate interest in connecting with the other faces of the “movement.”

Posts that spoke into controversial issues

Posts expanding understanding of complex mental health issues

Posts that addressed strategies for ministry with families.

This fall, our primary teaching series will explore the complexities of ministry with families of kids with aggressive behavior. We’ll also be introducing our readers to the leaders and ministries who’ve partnered with us to develop Inclusion Fusion. Stay tuned for a MAJOR announcement this week on the Keynote Speaker for Inclusion Fusion.

Beyond our immediate plans for Fall, I’m very interested in hearing from readers with topics they’d like us to address. Feel free to share your ideas in the comments section for this post. You can also choose to participate in our poll:

Here are a couple of ideas I’m kicking around…

Reviewing the publicly available research on a topic of interest. We’ll refer to these posts as “What does the data say?” An example from earlier this year would be this post on special needs and divorce.

Starting a regular feature that I might refer to as “fruit.” We’d feature interviews with staff, parents and volunteers from churches where we have connections to examine ways in which God is working in the lives of the kids and families they serve.

Some potential ideas for more in-depth series in the coming year include…

Ministry with families who have adopted “at-risk” children, or are caring for “at-risk” children in foster care

Ministry with kids with learning disabilities

Ministry with kids who have experienced trauma and their families

Ministry to teens and young adults with schizophrenia and their families

When pastors or church staff have kids with disabilities

Thanks for your support of this blog and your support of our team at Key Ministry. We’re honored to serve such an awesome God and to share such an important mission.

Interested in joining a bunch of folks who are passionate about families of kids with special needs coming to know and love Jesus Christ?  An event in which any church leader, volunteer or parent anywhere in the world who shares the same passion and has access to the Internet through a computer, tablet or smart phone can join in? That’s Inclusion Fusion. Register here for the Special Needs Ministry Web Summit, coming this November 3rd-5th.

Posted in Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry, Resources, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Importance of the Next Generation

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Dr. G

Many friends and supporters of Key Ministry are already aware of the new addition to our team last week. Harmony and Skyler Hensley welcomed Ransom Levi Hensley into their family early last Friday morning. Harmony very eloquently described the way in which Ransom’s arrival represents God’s response to years of prayer from the Hensley’s, their family and friends. Check out her post-it’s a must-read.

From a spiritual development standpoint, I can’t imagine how Ransom could have been given a better family. He has two parents who don’t just talk the talk but walk the walk. He’ll be exposed to all of the great stories of the Bible. He’ll be surrounded by people who will model an active and meaningful prayer life. Had he come along a day or two earlier, he might have found himself serving at his first respite outreach. He’ll always be surrounded by a supportive church family while growing up. But imagine the task confronting the Hensley’s over the next 18+ years!

A few weeks ago, I went back and visited my old church and saw Bill Burr. If they had a picture of an elder in the Bible, it would probably be Bill. I spotted Bill, shook his hand and told him he was looking good. He smiled, and responded, “Not too bad for 90, huh?”

Given the advances likely to occur in modern medicine, there’s an extremely good possibility that Ransom will still be serving God here on Earth (like Bill) in some capacity in the 22nd century. Consider how the world has changed in our lifetimes. What kind of world do we need to prepare him to face?

I’ve spent a lot of time this past year in the Old Testament. I’m amazed at the recurrent ineptitude of the spiritual leaders in Israel to pass along their faith to the next generation. Whenever Israel had a godly king, his heir generally demonstrated a tolerance for immorality and pagan worship exceeding that of preceding generations. I’d think that the kings would have prioritized their relationships with their children, if for no other reason than the reality that the preservation and expansion of the king’s legacy fell to his their children. I wonder if their stories were preserved as a reminder to us to depend upon God and to share the knowledge of Him with our children continually.

It’s hard for me to imagine any service we can provide more important or more impactful to the Kingdom than addressing the spiritual development of our kids. And not just our biological or adopted children…all of the children in our sphere of influence.

Here’s my hope for Ransom and all of our kids…

I hope Ransom has the opportunity to be a part of a church that will support him in fully using his gifts, talents and abilities to serve God’s purpose in his generation.

I hope Ransom will have the opportunity for relationships with adults who will reinforce and model for him the principles he’s taught by his parents.

I hope Ransom will be well-prepared for the spiritual battles he’ll have to confront in the world in which he’ll serve.

I hope Ransom’s children will know and love God and grow the spiritual legacy established by their grandparents.

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. 

Deut. 7:9 (NIV)

Welcome to the team, Ransom!

***********************************************************************************************************

KM_ForFamilies_Logo_Color_RGBKey Ministry helps connect churches and families of kids with disabilities for the purpose of making disciples of Jesus Christ. In order to provide the free training, consultation, resources and support we offer every day to church leaders and family members, we depend upon the prayers and generous financial support of readers like you. Please pray for the work of our ministry and consider, if able, to support us financially!

Posted in Parents | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Stuff worth checking out at the Through The Roof Summit

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Dr. G

The complete schedule for the breakout sessions for the upcoming Bioethics Conference and Through The Roof Summit is now available here. In addition to the presentations being offered by Katie and Annie Wetherbee, Rebecca and Abby Hamilton, Dr. Cara Daily and myself described here, allow me to suggest several other folks you want to check out if you’re planning to attend the conference at Cedarville University on September 15-17.

Nella Uitvlugt is the Executive Director of Friendship Ministries. Friendship has outstanding resources for churches seeking to minister to adults with developmental disabilities. Autism and Your Church is a product of Friendship Ministries.

Gary Sweeten is presenting the results of research he described last Fall on this blog examining the needs of caregivers in families impacted by disability. His presentation is What They (Parents) Told Us They Wanted And Needed.

Our friends (and Inclusion Fusion speakers) Joe and Cindi Ferrini will be presenting on the topic Marriage Matters-The Unexpected Journey: When Special Needs Change Our Course.

In addition to those presentations, our friends Deb Peterman and Lisa Brown from Joni and Friends Ohio have a number of useful presentations.

Last (but not least), Joni Earickson Tada will be speaking on both Friday the 16th and Saturday the 17th, in addition to her talk on Thursday morning the 15th at Cedarville’s Chapel Service.

Click here to register for the Bioethics Conference and Through The Roof Summit. Registration closes September 8.

Interested in joining a bunch of folks who are passionate about families of kids with special needs coming to know and love Jesus Christ?  An event in which any church leader, volunteer or parent anywhere in the world who shares the same passion and has access to the Internet through a computer, tablet or smart phone can join in? That’s Inclusion Fusion. Register here for the Special Needs Ministry Web Summit, coming this November 3rd-5th.


Posted in Key Ministry, Training Events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hidden Disabilities and Promotion Sunday

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Dr. G

With the beginning of a new school year in Northeast Ohio, we can look forward soon to the beginning of a new year to for kids and families in our church programming, even if we can’t look forward to four months of winning football.

Transitions are highly anticipated by most kids and families. At the church we attend, preschoolers entering kindergarten start to attend elementary school large group worship next Sunday. Kids entering sixth grade begin middle school programming and small groups. Ninth graders have their own Sunday evening worship and start “house groups” the following week.

Kids with hidden disabilities and their families may not look forward to these transitions with the same anticipation as their peers at church. Transition times all too often result in kids and families falling away from church programming. With a little understanding of the ways in which transitions may impact kids with specific disabilities and some advance planning, church staff, volunteers and parents can help most have positive experiences as they progress into their age-appropriate ministry environments with the onset of the new program year.

Some kids may have more difficulty transitioning into environments with more sensory stimulation than they’ve been accustomed to. Kids with sensory integration disorders (common in kids with autism and ADHD) may experience distress when exposed to very bright lights, louder music and more noise than they’re accustomed to. Ministry leaders aware of kids with sensory issues may want to consider adjustments in the levels of lighting and amplification in advance of the child’s transition. If such adjustments aren’t practical, alternative arrangements can be made for kids during times of excessive sensory stimulation…offering opportunities to serve elsewhere in the church, use of videos or prerecorded worship music or other alternative worship activities.

Kids with anxiety may have more difficulty transitioning into large groups with many older kids with established peer groups and friendships. Imagine being a shy, reserved sixth grader walking into a room with lots of older (and more physically mature) kids hanging out with friends in pre-existing groups, or a high school freshman walking in on a group of 16 and 17 year-olds who drove to church. Designating leaders to personally welcome kids who appear to be alone can be helpful. Planning in advance for friends or acquaintances to join kids who are more shy or withdrawn until they’ve made solid connections with peers and group leaders is another useful strategy. Another approach involves having trusted group leaders “loop” for two year commitments…following kids through the transition from elementary to middle school or middle school to high school ministry.

Kids of middle and high school age with less well developed social skills may have difficulty transitioning into small group environments with more sophisticated peers. Transitions become easier when ministry leaders and parents can create a peer culture accepting of kids with differences.

Be on the lookout during the transitions at the beginning of the program year for kids who have regularly participated in your church’s programming for children and youth but are suddenly missing from their age-appropriate activities. They may represent a portion of your kids with hidden disabilities.

 

***********************************************************************************************************

KM_ForFamilies_Logo_Color_RGBKey Ministry helps connect churches and families of kids with disabilities for the purpose of making disciples of Jesus Christ. In order to provide the free training, consultation, resources and support we offer every day to church leaders and family members, we depend upon the prayers and generous financial support of readers like you. Please pray for the work of our ministry and consider, if able, to support us financially!

Posted in Hidden Disabilities, Inclusion, Key Ministry, Strategies | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment