Sunday, 06 December 2009

• Church this Week with ASD.

  Josh usually tries to get out of going to church, almost every week... this one was no exception. This week at church, the kids were "stuck" sitting with their parents during the service instead of going to their own classes. They do this on the fifth Sunday of the month and also have a Communion service. Thankfully, this was a holiday weekend, so a lot of people were out of town or just didn't come this morning, so me and my three kids got an entire row to ourselves.

  I usually sit off to one side where I can see the interpreters for the deaf. I am not deaf, but I can pay more attention and understand more if I am watching Christina or Gracie sign than if I'm just sitting there. My kids were fascinated by this... for the most part. (I am learning sign language, and liking it a lot. It seems much more conceptual than spoken words... and watching the facial expressions of the interpreter is very cool.)

  Now, our church service usually begins with music. It is rather loud. Music is one loud noise I have learned to enjoy, but Josh on the other hand... spent the entire song service lying across three chairs with his hands over his ears. Now, Josh is ten years old. He's not a little kid either. He's almost as tall as I am, so people often think he's older. I can imagine that some of the people in the church who could see him were wondering why I was allowing him to behave that way. SO WHAT?  
  

  My options were: Let him do it and be able to stay and enjoy the service, or take him out and take him home. He was being still and quiet, not disruptive or distracting, so I let him stay put. My girls and I stood and pretty much ignored him, singing and signing along with the music. When the music stopped, I attempted to get Josh to sit up, but he insisted on staying put. I figured, still and quiet is good. The girls on the other hand... they were squirming and leaning on me and playing with my hair.

  We got through the service without incident. On the walk home, I talked to Josh about the loud music. He said he didn't like it. I asked him if he would like to try some ear plugs next time. He asked me, "Can I have some for Children's Church too? It's even louder in there." So I told him that we would look for the kind on a string that are reusable and he can wear them when he needs them or take them out and let them hang around his neck. He asked if he could wear them at school too. I told him that I didn't think so because the point was to block out loud and school should be pretty quiet.

  Up until now, I have never been quite sure what kind of noise, if any, bothers Josh. He's a trooper I guess, not showing how much it bothers him. Today though, he let me know. Now I can see what can be done to make church a more enjoyable place for him. Now that I think about it... I wish I had been given earplugs to wear in Children's Church when I was a kid too...

   

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