Autism Spectrum Disorder: Meeting Challenges with Hope

by Michael R. Emlet

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one of several neurodevelopmental disorders that can cause developmental deficits or differences in brain processing that impair a person's functioning in many different settings. ASD in the United States is estimated to affect at least 1 to 2 percent of the population. How can we as Christians minister well to those who exhibit the struggles typical of this condition? Counselor and physician Michael R. Emlet helps us understand how to thoughtfully and compassionately apply a biblical worldview to serve the substantial numbers of children and adults diagnosed with ASD. He briefly describes ASD and explains some general strategies for ministry to individuals on the autistic spectrum. Though this is a complex and often poorly understood experience, this resource offers a basic framework for helping and supporting members of the ASD community by applying the truth of Scripture and gaining a better understanding of current medical research.

Genres: Counselling

24 pages, Paperback

Published August 21, 2023

About the author

Michael R. Emlet, M.Div., M.D., practiced as a family physician for twelve years before becoming a counselor and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF).

Reviews

[Allison Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brief, clear, compassionate, researched, and biblically faithful. Highly recommend!

[Matthew Hodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short booklet on how to respond to ASD people as a Christian. I have found myself in a church where there are a surprisingly large number of neurodiverse people in the congregation and so I thought having a framework for thinking about this is not a bad thing.

This book is too short to dig into any real practicalities, so it's very much an intro, but as a basic framework it's not a bad place to start:

1) valuing the person
2) understanding that odd behaviour is not necessarily sinful
3) neurodivergence doesn't excuse sin

[Keesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, concise, more of a booklet than a book; since I purchased it on Kindle, it wasn't immediately apparent just how short it was. I was hoping for something a bit meatier. I've thoroughly enjoyed other books by this author and I'm sure I would have loved a full-length book on the subject.

[Loraena · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very basic summary designed for those who have had limited exposure to ASD.

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a ton from this book. What an encouraging book. I am excited to put the information to work as I minister to God’s people. Very good