Autism, the Church and the Community
3rd June 2009Opening the doors wider A day conference for leaders wishing to make church and community more welcoming and user-friendly to people with autism and Asperger syndrome A one-day conference is being staged this weekend to encourage church and community leaders to adopt a more understanding and friendly approach to people with autistic spectrum disorders and other life-long developmental disabilities. The conference will bring carers and families with autism together with church and community leaders to explore how to make events more accessible and inclusive. One of the foremost authorities on autism, Simon Baron-Cohen, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Autism Research Centre will deliver the keynote speech. The autism spectrum is wide ranging. It includes people who are severely disabled, and may not be able to speak, read or write, together with those who are high functioning and have a high IQ who nevertheless have debilitating difficulties that inhibit the way they communicate and relate to other people. It is believed that more one in every hundred people have some form of autism. The conference consultant is Owen Spencer-Thomas who has two children on the autism spectrum. “Much has already been done to support people with physical disabilities,” he said. “But when people cannot see a disability, such as autism or Asperger’s Syndrome, they may fail to understand the condition and dismiss an individual as withdrawn, weird or deliberately difficult. Nothing could be further from the truth as they struggle to relate to another person.” Other speakers include: The conference, is hosted by the Revd James Blandford-Baker at Histon Parish Church on Saturday 6th June from 10.00 am until 3.30 pm.
For details and more information:
Canon Owen Spencer-Thomas, MBE
3rd June 2009 |
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