top of page

Autism Issues, Challenges, and Advocacy

  • Writer: Profiles in Catholicism
    Profiles in Catholicism
  • 2 hours ago
  • 17 min read
ree

A Massage from the Editor


Autism is a spectrum, meaning there is wide variation in abilities and challenges among individuals, with differences in communication, sensory sensitivity, and social preferences. 


Many autistic people desire meaningful relationships; their struggles with social interaction stem from communication differences, not a lack of interest. 


Misunderstandings in communication often arise from the "double empathy" problem, where neurotypical and autistic people struggle to empathize with each other's different perspectives and communication styles. 


Autistic people experience and express emotions and have a sense of humor, though it may differ from neurotypical norms and may not always be expressed in the same way. 

Many autistic people expend significant energy to mask their traits to fit in with neurotypical social expectations, a process that can lead to exhaustion and burnout. 

For the latest insights into autism, I suggest reading Fernanda Gonzalez’s Autism Is Not a Single Condition and Has No Single Cause, Scientists Conclude in the in the October 6, 2025 issue of Wired in which he reports that research reveals that those diagnosed with autism early show distinct genetic and developmental profiles from those diagnosed later.


A Quote to Remember


"We need to work on changing the way we see the world, not the way autistic people are". 


Disease News 

The World Health Organization  has published its global cholera statistics for 2024, showing an increase in both the number of people who fell sick and died from the disease  Reported cholera cases rose by 5% and deaths by 50% in 2024 compared to 2023, with more than 6000 people dying from a disease that is both preventable and treatable. While these numbers are themselves alarming, they are underestimates of the true burden of cholera. Conflict, climate change, population displacement, and long-term deficiencies in water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure continue to fuel the rise of cholera, a disease caused by the bacterium, Vibrio cholerae, which spreads rapidly through faces-contaminated water.


October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We have added a resource for In our cancer web titled Global Breast Cancer Resources for Patients, Survivors, and Their Loved Ones


Prayers


“An Enlightening Love” 


How, Lord, little by little, I forgot to spend your love, not mine,

On the children who wear me away, like water on a rock, rising

Early, even midnight or four in the morning, ready to play and

Rock the day, ready to play and wear me away, ready to play day

By day, when I am no longer ready to play but ready for a rest.


Dear Mary, you were alert at the marriage feast and knew that

The wine had run out and that we needed an extraordinary help

In the gift of your

Son taking the waterless jars used to wash

And, just as we used up that water to clean externally, to rinse

What can be rinsed off, and to soak what can be soaked off.


Dear Joseph, you were close to running out of goodwill when the

Angel spoke to you of a divine gift of accepting a child not your

Own but your wife’s and to live that love of Him as if it was your only

Son, your most precious son, yet the son you adopted amidst

The adoption of other children, too, which were not your own.


Oh Joseph, you needed the help of an angel to see beyond a child,

Not your own, mysteriously conceived in the womb of Mary, your

Betrothed, knowing that the child was not your own but, by angel

Grace, knowing that this child was divine and was given as a grace

To help the human race and so, like Mary, you took up the task.


Oh Mary, you needed the help of an angel, too, to accept the truly

Mysterious nature of a uniquely holy conception, wholly holy, in

The very embryonic reality of Jesus Christ, the Son of God made

True man, come to unfold the path of redeeming love for all who

Live, traversing human life from conception until an untimely death.


And you Lord, in the garden of anguish, confronted with an inescapable

possibility of a terrible suffering, an angel came to

Strengthen you, giving the strength that comes from the presence

Of God Himself, making us realize that in our hour of desperation,

When it is impossible to be patient, that the angels are there to help.

Lord, may you and your holy Mother and spouse, St. Joseph, all

Of whom have known the help of an angel, press into service for each of us,

our guardian angel, given us by God to be exactly there,

At our side, in order to turn our hearts into helpers especially when

Our goodwill is spent, we are tired, and the child is in danger too.


Let your word, coming as it does more freely than psychiatric

Assessments, more routinely than a regular appointment with

The doctor, revealing more than an x-ray and opening,

more discreetly than we can be, what untold stresses are in our hearts

And hammering at our door, day in and day out, to ask for help.


And so we pray, Lord, not just for ourselves but for those we love

And care for, that we need the vigilance of our Guardian Angel

So that, on call more than any monitor, our angel may help us to

Seek the help that we need to be of help to others without the snap

And crack of wear sending us to prison to get the help we needed.

by Francis Etheredge Catholic married layman, father of 11,3 of whom are in heaven, and an author. Just published: The Word in Your Heart: Mary, Youth, and Mental Health


A Prayer of St. Francis for Autism


The sun shining through trees on a dirt road

The silhouette of a person climbing on a mountain with the

sun in the background

The silhouette of pine trees with blue sky in the background

Lord, let thy peace fill me up until I overflow;

that where people cannot speak, I may be their advocate;

that where anyone is rejected, I may extend my arms in welcome;

that where parents are heavy burdened, I may offer a word of comfort;

that where our children struggle, I may lift them up and cheer;

that where some see disability, I may reveal to them extraordinary gifts;

that where others judge, I may share with them my deep gladness;

and that where any are overlooked, I may help the lights of all to shine.

Oh giver of these gifts, grant that I may not so much seek to be reassured

as to reassure

to be praised as to praise ;to be accepted as to accept;

for it is in all our uncertainty that we are inspired to hope;

it is in great challenges that we discover our greatest joys,

and it is in our community of wanderers that we find the way home.

Amen.

by Tim Tucker

Both Hands and a Flashlight

Provided by the National Catholic Partnership on Disability Autism Task Force


A Prayer for The Autistic Souls

 

Heavenly Father,

 

We commend to Your loving care

all the autistic souls who have gone before us:

 

Those whom we knew well;

Those we knew only from a distance;

 

Those with whom we worked, as helpers and as colleagues;

Those who were our neighbors;

Those who were our classmates;

Those who stand out in our memories

as quirky, different, eccentric and odd;

Those who were accepted and welcomed;

Those who were marginalized,

bullied,

mocked,

and turned away;

 

Those who communicated easily with others;

Those who communicated without words;

Those whom others found difficult to reach;

Those who were overwhelmed by the sensory demands of their environment;

 

Those within our own families

who succeeded;

who struggled;

who knew that they were autistic;

who wondered why they were different;

who were accepted with love and patience;

who were difficult to connect with;

 

Those who died alone

in group homes;

in mental institutions;

in hospitals;

in nursing homes;

in isolation from others;

in homelessness;

 

Those who died without the benefit of being understood for

who they were;

why they were different;

what their actual diagnosis was;

what their actual capacity for love was;

what their interests were;

what their intellectual capacity was;

what gave them joy;

what brought them sadness;

all that made them who they are;

 

For all autistic souls who have gone before us:

 

May they rest in Eternal love, acceptance and peace,

and may their memory inspire us

to love more, understand better,

and cultivate patience

with ourselves, and with one another.

 

In the Holy Name of Jesus, we pray,

Amen.

 

 

Prayer to Champion the Dignity of Autistic Lives

 

LET US PRAY:

Lord Our God, we pray that all autistic people – children, teens, and adults – may be valued and validated in every community.

May we champion the dignity of autistic people of every ability and support level, affirming each autistic person as worthy of love, respect, support, and belonging.

May we be the example that is sorely lacking in a world which cultivates fear, misunderstanding and division.

St. Thorlak Thorhallsson: PRAY FOR US! 

 


Good and gracious God,

You brought Landon back to yourself quickly. It is his simple kindness that made you think of him. Please bless his parents and all his relatives in this time of sorrow for them. May their lives be filled with the knowledge that Landon is with you at peace and embraced in your loving arms 

by Eileen Quinn Knight, Ph.D. Profiles in Catholicism


 

Oh Lord, on this holy day in Jewish tradition

two Jews were killed at a synagogue in Manchester, UK.

They were there to pray and to show their love for you

and for their fellow humans.

Oh Lord, this murder is a violation of all that we believe in

as Jews, Christians, and those of all faiths.

We pray for the victims and for their families.

And we pray for all Jews the world over who are increasingly at risk

from antisemitic attacks

We pray that we can come together in faith and love for all.

We must love our neighbors as ourselves.

We must help all those in need.

Help us all, Oh Lord,

in these days which are dangerous for us all.

Amen

by Dr. Eugene Fisher Profiles in Catholicism

 

Father, we pray for the repose of the soul of Fr Bertoldo Pantaléon and all who have, like your Son, laid down their lives in service of your people and of your mission of reconciliation of the estranged and the afflicted. We ask that minds and hearts be turned towards you and that social conditions (especially the precarity that leads many into the drug trade and the cross-border tensions that fuel it) may be addressed in love and justice. 

by Father Justin Glyn, SJ  Profiles in Catholicism

 

Autism Interviews


 

General Interviews

 



General Autism Articles



General Articles and Commentaries



Book Reviews, Commentaries, and Announcements



Book Announcement


  • People Are Like … Brooklyn-born Rabbi Michael Zedek engages young readers and their families with his first children’s book, People Are Like … Stories for Young Readers and Readers Who Wish to Stay Young. People Are Like … combines natural wit with generational wisdom to plant seeds for

    character building and self-discovery. Touted by award-winning children’s recording artist and author, Jim Cosgrove as “Charming tales imparting wisdom of the ages – for all ages,” the book combines the follies and perspectives of animals and kings with deeper messages. “These joyful and witty stories are an engaging read, filled with inspirational and thought-provoking  lessons.”

    Emanuel Cleaver II, United States Representative “A treasure trove of life lessons for readers of every age.”

    Shirley Bush Helzberg, philanthropist, arts and civic leader “In People Are Like…, Rabbi Michael Zedek offers a delightful children’s book


Film Reviews and Commentaries



Videos


10 Early Signs of Autism


 
 

Join our mailing list

Never miss an update

© 2025 Profiles in Catholicism

Terms  |  Privacy  |  Accessibility

site  design/development petitetaway

bottom of page