Special Needs
“Let the Church always be a place of mercy and hope, where everyone is welcomed.”
—Pope Francis
A Church that aspires to welcome all must continually seek new ways to serve the needs of those who may feel isolated or deprived of a full-faith experience. It is clear that families of children with special needs are especially vulnerable.
All parishes and all families are impacted by special needs issues whether they realize it or not. The estimates are that 1 in 7 (14%) of children ages 3 to 17 have some type of developmental disability. The impact can be more a measure of those who are not in attendance, rather than those who are as many special needs families bypass participation in the absence of welcoming accommodations.
“Indifference towards those in need is not acceptable for a Christian…”
—Pope Francis
This is especially disheartening for the children with special needs who do not have access to an adaptive program to facilitate faith formation. It is imperative that all children have an opportunity to build a lifelong relationship with God. Children with special needs must have effective faith formation so that they may grow in faith and learn about Christ and His Church.
Loyola Press is committed to helping parishes serve families of children with special needs. With the guidance of faith formation professionals, experts in effective learning methods for children with cognitive and other disabilities, and families, Loyola Press has developed innovative and award-winning tools to serve those with adaptive learning needs.
Adaptive First Eucharist Preparation Kit, Adaptive Reconciliation Kit, and Adaptive Confirmation Kit are available in both English and Spanish. We have also created the Adaptive Finding God Kit and many additional multisensory tools to reinforce learning opportunities for meaningful catechesis. We also feature additional articles and resources on this page. These adaptive learning tools and programs now enable parishes to more fully minister to those with special needs, giving all children the opportunity to grow in faith.
“We pray to the Lord that the Church may always be a true family that brings God’s Love to everyone…”
—Pope Francis
For Catechists and Teachers
- An Enabled Discipleship
- Five Tips for Teaching Children with Autism
- Hints to Setting Up a Good Classroom
- Adolescence and Autism
- Recognizing and Using a Preferred Interest in the Classroom
- Discipleship Training
- Included in Discipleship
- Invisible Needs of Beautiful Minds
- Making Bright Eyes Brighter
- Raising the Spiritual Voice
- Ready, Set, Learn!
- The Gifts of the Gifted
- Tools for Ministry
For Parents and Families