Jacks Academy: Sandra Peoples- Autism Awareness

Today, I am excited to have a guest post for you all by, Sandra People’s. Sandra is well know by her blog Heart for Him. Sandra is also the Author of an amazing book called, Speechless: Finding God’s Grace in My Son’s Autism

Today she is going to share a bit about something very dear to my heart. Please read, even if you do not have a child with autism.

Last fall I released a book on the first year after our son's autism diagnosis. In the book, I included a chapter about our first autism support group meeting. It didn't go well. No one really talked to us, we didn't relate to the topic, and I wasn't ready to accept some of the "worst case scenarios" the other parents were experiencing.

But this year we tried again. A new branch of the support group was starting up in the town where my husband pastors a church. At the first meeting, no one really talked to us, we didn't relate to the topic, and because most of the families in the group had kids with Asperger's, having a non-verbal four year old who isn't potty trained meant we were the "worst case scenario" in the room. The meeting wasn't easy. But instead of giving up on the group like last year, we keep going. We are making friends. We are sharing experiences, encouraging and educating each other on what works for us.

What is different about this group and this experience? After a year wrestling with James's diagnosis and all that entailed, I was able to see that this meeting wasn't all about me. I was starting to live out 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 which says, "Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

Our church is passionate about reaching families of special needs kids. We have started offering respite night care, where our volunteers take care of special needs kids and their siblings so their parents can have a night out. Some of these parents have told us they haven't stepped foot in a church since their child's diagnosis. My husband and I are able to say, "We understand. We empathize. But we have found comfort in God."

What these parents need is hope. Because I have hope in God, I can comfort them with the hope I have. I can point them to God, and because our church now has a passion for serving these families, I can point them to a body of believers who will love them and love their children--no matter what their special needs are.