Social Stories for Church Services
Recently, the Holy Celebration of Easter disrupted the predictable worship service with bells as we all exclaim: “Alleluia, the Lord is risen indeed!” This joy-filled celebration and onslaught of guests leaves many disabled, Autistic, or otherwise neurodivergent people perplexed. The normal routine is off. The service is different. Things are not the same and that can cause anxiety. For many disabled and neurodivergent people, predictability is essential to stay regulated and engaged in the service.
In my church, the main service is the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday night. It begins with the lighting of the Christ Candle and then, by candlelight, we tell the stories of God’s people—the creation, the flood, the freedom of the Israelites from Egypt and their exodus into the wilderness, dry bones coming up alive and through the coming of Christ, his baptism, and death—and then comes the resurrection. Suddenly all the lights are thrown on, bells are being rung from everywhere as everyone screams “Alleluia, the Lord is Risen!” Processing through the chaos with the children, I find my Autistic friend in meltdown. As much as she loves the Great Vigil, the sudden sensory onslaught was too much for her nervous system.
When these situations lead to sensory overload, it is easy for family, clergy, and disabled individuals to automatically assume this environment will never work and would be a time best to stay home. Though staying home is a valid option, everyone should have the freedom to choose. Specialists have discovered creating a predictable “social story” for the individual to read through and learn prior to the event can create the necessary structure for success. Pairing social stories with sensory tools like earplugs, sunglasses, and fidget toys along with a safe place to escape gives the disabled person the tools necessary to predict and manage their own sensory needs.
Social stories are simple, first-person stories with images or photos walking through the event or experience as the disabled individual would experience it. The focus is on the sights, sounds, smells along with what the individual is doing at that time and place. A social story would share about the fire, carefully lighting your candle (or choosing a battery operated one), listening closely to the stories (quietly coloring or playing with fidget toys), singing, the priest splashing you with water at the baptism (covering your eyes so they don’t get splashed) and remind you to put in earplugs and sunglasses for the proclamation of Easter (or leave for a few moments). Knowledge and choice make all the difference when navigating church services.
As a neurodivergent person myself, I walk myself through the bulletin as soon as it comes in my inbox. I look for notation of guest musicians and brass bands and put my musician earplugs in. I appreciate a liturgical church because of its predictability, and I enjoy talking others through the movements of worship so they can feel a bit more in control.
Some congregations have written up social stories for their own church services and posted them on their websites. This can be helpful for disabled or neurodivergent people, but also all individuals curious about joining your service but unsure if they will “do it right.” Including special services like the Easter Vigil or additional pages to print out and include in a social story for baptisms and other special services could be especially helpful.
Here is a simple, well written social story from St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, NJ: https://stmarksbr.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Social-Story.pdf
Catholicblogger even includes links and resources to create your own: https://catholicblogger1.blogspot.com/2009/11/social-stories-for-church.html
Categorised in: Journey with Jessica