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I'm jotting this down from an overnight subconscious data dump. It's a stream of consciousness entry. It will be edited and polished later. There will be typos and bad grammar. I'm not naturally verbal, nor am I comfortably fluent in the English language, my L2.

Given Reser's Solitary Forager Hypothesis of autism and Glasser's Choice Theory, I want to examine the typical autistic behaviour of "walking off" or "wandering off."

Why do autistic people walk away or wander off?

I'm autistic and I've been wandering off for as long as I can recall.

My most stark childhood memory of wandering off was in primary school. The "official family memory" of the event was that I missed the bus and went home with a classmate to play with him at his house. This is certainly a "just the facts" type of account. But, in the days before awareness of autism, there was no other way to explain my willful behaviour. Willful in that it wasn't an accident; I wasn't abducted. I simply wandered off to explore something / someone of interest. My classmate made an offer that the Solitary Forager couldn't refuse. It is a start memory because of how it ended ... a rather public beating for the high crime of worrying my parents by disappearing. I suspect that a swift beating has resulted from autistics of my generation wandering off and worrying their parents. Although beating children is completely out of favour in modern times, it did serve as a conditioning event. My unconscious Solitary Foraging tendencies needed another way to satisfy their desires.

Reser's hypothesis notes that we're wired for a solitary life. He adds the foraging aspects because this neurotype has been around since at least the time when homo sapiens was slugging it out with Neanderthal; ~50k years ago. The solitary wandering thus fulfills a vital biological function - we wander away from the pack to make our own way. Hunger and thirst refine our intelligent mind towards being able to sustain our solitary desires. 

What are we foraging for in modern time? I think that part of the hypothesis becomes unique to each autistic individual. That's where Glasser comes in. At all times, we're seeking to fulfill one or more of five Basic Needs in pursuit of our Quality World.

My next childhood memory as relates this stream of thought is the visit of my grandmother's brother when I was six. Uncle Sandy was an engineer for Ford Motors in Canada. At the point where we met, he was traveling North America testifying in trials related to crashes of certain Ford vehicles. This was 1976. It was also the day I was introduced to the concept that professional baseball teams could be created out of thin air, but that's another story for another time (yes, I'm still a Blue Jays fan to this day). What Uncle Sandy placed into my consciousness was the idea that one could be paid, and paid well, to wander. That one's foraging activities could be sponsored by someone who wanted services that I could provide. A hint at a later career.

Growing up in the lower echelons of the trade-unionist working class, we didn't have much in comparison to those with whom I went to school. What we did have was hard earned and treasured. I say this in relation to my first bicycle. About the time I got my first bike, I was old enough to be permitted to wander farther away from the house. As long as I was home by a certain hour, I could wander quite far away on my bike. I explored the depth and breadth of my city. I was in no way honest with my parents about where or how far I'd gone on any particular day. In contrast to modern parents of autistic children, I was encouraged to get out of the house and stay out until the end of the day. I took advantage of this freedom and pushed it's limits each day.

This is also the time where my love of abandoned buildings began. These could become my own "fortress of Solitude."

This is also the time when I staged a series of disciplinary situations to get kicked off the school bus so I could walk to school. Certainly, there were bullies on the bus who were brutal in their daily assaults. But, I could have easily dispatched them, as I had done to a few classmates previously. I was, after all, quite a bit bigger than everyone at my school. But, I didn't want to be on the bus. The sensory assault not withstanding, getting off the bus meant having to make my way to the school on my own ... about 3 miles away. There was a set of railroad tracks that made the route even more of an adventure. So, it was win-win, I was off the bus and walking / biking to school.

In high school, my involvement in sports also supported my wandering. Staying in shape, I got on my bike and hit the streets. Also, having been largely abandoned by the system to a life of academic mediocrity, I took geometry at the local college during one summer, allowing me to wander even farther and explore places previously unvisited. 

Another summer had me at the Converse All Stars basketball league. This time, I was riding my bike about 20 miles to Cerritos Community College to play 3 hours of basketball (college courts are bigger than high school courts) only to bike the 20 miles home at the end. Needless to say, engaging my solitary wandering in this way lead to me being in phenomenal physical shape. 

This would also appear when I was playing varsity basketball, but also wanting to wrestle. In high school, these sports happen in the same season. I couldn't play basketball and wrestle at the same time at the same school. So, I got on my bike once again. I snuck out after basketball practice to wrestle at the local greco club which met at the local college. Again, the 5 mile bike ride through the Whittier hills after a full basketball practice only to engage in a full wrestling practice, then bike back the 5 miles lead to me preserving that physique.

Unfortunately, not being aware of the context of these wanderings has lead to some rather unfortunate episodes. I wandered off to college after high school, taking the first offer that came. My desire to leave home was greater than any advice given to me that it wasn't a good deal, or that it wouldn't end well. It didn't. I wasn't ready to be fully on my own, but I was. I had access to a car now. Did I ever wander. I wandered so far one Friday that I missed my football game on Saturday. I completely forgot that I was in school to play football and that they owned the rights to my time. The following Monday, my coaches let me know who was in charge. It didn't happen that way again.

Several injuries, and several unfortunate incidents later, I was wandering north. This time, I was in Santa Rosa, CA. In the care of a dear woman who is still a dear, albeit distant friend, I was completely on my own and able to wander in some incredible spaces. I took every advantage. So great was my desire to explore, and so poor was my health relative to my autistic system, that it took me 4 years to complete the first two years of college.

In Santa Rosa was where I met the mother of my oldest son. In retrospect, she enjoyed the wandering and was keen to join in. An incredibly intelligent and resourceful woman, she was the perfect match at the time and we willing joined forces ... a rarity for the Solitary type. She had wandered so far away to Santa Rosa and was anxious to get back to where her. heart remained, Germany. A year or so later, we had wandered across the width of the US and were exploring western Europe. It was within this space that I experienced the first two autistic shut downs. They scared the living $hit out of me. The events of the final one, experienced whilst I was living in Germany, caused me to be expelled from the country and invited to not return for 5 years. It was the best thing as I needed help, and that help wasn't available in rural Nüssloch.

Back in the US, in and out of the hospital, prior to DMS IV and a proper diagnosis, I was still wandering. I bought a pile of Volkswagon parts that my roommate and I put together into a camping Combi. I now had the platform for some amazing wandering and foraging. Away I went.

A series of low paying and rather menial jobs earned me just enough to explore. I wasn't interested in riches, I was / am a forager. I had what I needed.

The next phase of my wandering life ties into the memory of my Uncle Sandy. I was invited into employment with the City of Los Angeles to a position very much like that of my venerable relative. First, as a master communication electrician working independently in support of various operations, I was paid handsomely to work independently in and around the city. Then, when technology was changing rapidly, I was asked to figure out an aspect of digital / multimedia evidence and became one of the founders of the digital / multimedia forensic sciences. Even penned a book, dozens of papers, and thousands of articles.

But, being at the forefront of the discipline, and largely writing the curriculum on how to do what I was doing, I was offered opportunities to travel the world to teach those who wanted training in this new science. Away I went. As time progressed, I was invited into private forensic science casework ... further enhancing my ability to explore.

I've been to a majority of US states. I've been to Canada. I've assisted in cased from around the globe. I've even worked in South Africa ... and was privileged to explore the bush surrounding it's capital city.

In creating Towcester Abbey, and focusing the vocational rehabilitation work there on training people for careers in the digital forensic sciences, I think (subconsciously) that I was acknowledging that it's a good career path for fellow Solitary Foragers.

So, as I transition to the newest phase of my life, I am yet again exploring. This time, it's the Vermont Square neightbourhood of Los Angeles as an elementary school special education teacher.

With all of this in mind, this massive brain dump, I'm leaving this set of notes to the future me, reconciling the past me, and depositing an artefact for parents of autistic children trying to understand this pathological desire we Foragers have to wander off.

Some who know me may read this and recall the events I've briefly outlined entirely differently. That's fine. This retelling is a reframing giving new information as to WHY ... trying to better understand the WHAT. I've always been a Solitary Forager. I've just gotten better at hiding it, or better able to engage with it safely, as I've gotten older.

Glasser's Choice Theory explains why we wander off better than any other theoretical construct. We need to wander. As Reser notes, it's biological - written into our genetic heritage. We seemingly ignore safety needs. We care not for esteem and affection. We care so deeply to explore (or forage) the world in the peace of solitude. Perhaps this is related to our sensory issues - the often overwhelming noise that bombards us in crowded places.

This is in no way a full treatment of the topic. Just notes that came to me overnight, as often happens with me. The Theatre of My Mind has been rather active on this topic of late. It's popping into my IG, and I've explored it there. It's dominating my lucid dreaming. Finally, it was time to dump the accumulated words into this space. The words, shouting so loudly, I have to get them out so I can have some peace and quiet again.

 Following up on a question on so-called evidence-based strategies, I went down the "validity" rabbit hole. The question had to do with the validity of the Woodcock Johnson assessment when given to autistic students. I read the section within the WJ technical manual that deals with the details of the creation of the instrument. It is a general overview and discussion. It does not mention the sample used to "norm" the instruments.

I found this reference that describes the sample used to create the "norm": https://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~glcanivez/Adobe%20pdf/Publications-Papers/Canivez%20(2017)%20WJ%20IV%20Review.pdf 

Missing from the discussion of the demographics is any language that specifies that those that we would currently describe as neuro-diverse, as coming from the SPED population, or disabled people were included in the sample. In reading the dialog about how the "norm" was created, this population would have to be delimited and noted as a CV in the process. It wasn't.

There's also no discussion about the results applying across populations. They created a model of "the middle of the US" to create their norm. How many STDs from the median is my population? Don't know. As usual, it wasn't factored.

Given the above, there is ample evidence that the WJ is valid in assessing those within the normal distribution of the human population (the middle), but little to no evidence that it is valid or reliable in assessing those outside of that population. This paper outlines why: Keen, D., Webster, A., & Ridley, G. (2016). How well are children with autism spectrum disorder doing academically at school? an overview of the literature. Autism : The International Journal of Research and Practice, 20(3), 276. doi:10.1177/1362361315580962. An interesting takeaway from that paper is that one of the studies examined had WJ administered to autistic students within a Gifted And Talented Education program / general ed setting, the others have the WJ (III and IV) being administered to an unspecified population, "Of the 19 studies reviewed, eight did not provide any information on educational enrollment or placement of participants." "The lack of studies involving participants in the adolescent years was

disturbing, although it is consistent with a more general trend that has identified a lack of research relating to outcomes, strengths and needs of people with ASD in adolescence and adulthood."

Jennifer Kurth seems to be the only researcher that is focused on this area - the lack of studies in this area. In Kurth, J. A., Hagiwara, M., Enyart, M., & Zagona, A. (2017). Inclusion of students with significant disabilities in SWPBS evaluation tools. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 52(4), 383-392, the authors examine the exclusion of disabled students from interventions - a discussion that I've had recently within the other spaces in my life.

Summary: there's no real evidence that these evidence-based practices work on the population of learners in the special education space ... and ample evidence that they don't work and are quite harmful. Nevertheless, the establishment often argues, this is the system as it is and we must deliver these assessments in order ___ fill in the blank ___. Given my background, it's hard to take the activist hat off.

In all of this, I'm reminded of a quote from an old professor of mine at the Univ. of Toronto - "Do we assess what we value, or value what we assess?" The WJ brings that quote to the front of my mind - seemingly valuing the assessment process and the data it produces with little consideration of the validity of the results or the harm caused by it's administration.

Now ... take any "evidence-based" assessment or intervention. Do your own research. Find the sample and the discussion of the tests of validity and reliability. Look into this data and see if there's any mention of the inclusion of the neuro-diverse community. I'll wager that you'll find nothing. We weren't included in the sample. And ... if we weren't included in the sample, the results can't be applied to our unique population. What does this mean? There's no evidence to support many of these approaches being used on us. None. Zero. Zip. Nada.

Thus, when "experts" use this term, my radar activates. I can use my university library access to quickly assess their claims. 99% of the time, I've found that their use of the term "evidence based" is a logical fallacy - false appeal to authority. They either hope we won't check .. or ... worse ... they haven't checked themselves and are simply parroting something they've heard / read.

I'll be revisiting this theme often, exposing the many ways that this term is used to marginalize our voices and sideline our advocacy. Stay tuned ... or join me. :)

Jim Hoerricks, PhD, Pn1, directs research services at the Praeceptory. His statement on our research services outlines the philosophy that we follow in conducting our research and the theories that guide our work. Here is his statement:

"Medical science generally classifies things as ordered or disordered. When things are working “normally,” they’re considered ordered. When things are not working “normally,” they are considered disordered. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), Fifth Edition, is the 2013 update to the DSM, the taxonomic and diagnostic tool published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). In the United States, the DSM serves as the principal authority for psychiatric diagnoses. Treatment recommendations, as well as payment by health care providers, are often determined by DSM classifications, so the appearance of a new version has significant practical importance.

The DSM treats the autistic brain as a disordered “normal” brain. As an example, the various diagnoses of Sensory Processing Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, and so forth, as found in DSM IV, became “autism” and “autism spectrum disorders” in DSM V. The APA assumes a baseline “normal” then assigns the term “disorder” to those things that do not operate according to their agreed upon definitions and baseline. This change has had huge implications across our society, from insurance plan pricing and options to the educational system’s Individualized Educational Plans. People regularly seek out a diagnosis of autism because the diagnosis, the paperwork, is necessary to access services, receive accomodations, and/or receive monetary support.

The problem with this mindset, that of ordered vs disordered, can be seen in the revisions of the DSM as it relates to human sexuality. For example, the classification of gay, lesbian, and bisexual sexual orientations went from "paraphilia" in DSM I to "sexual orientation disturbance" in DSM II to "ego-dystonic homosexuality" in DSM III. The variance in human sexual identity and preference was dropped from DSM-III-R and subsequent editions. The medical community stopped looking at the variance of sexual preference in terms of ordered vs disordered – with the disordered needing to be “cured.” The legacy of this viewpoint is slowly disappearing as more states ban so-called “Gay Conversion Therapy” and more churches make the choice to include the entirety of God's creation in their Church Family. Further to the point, the roots of racial classification can be found in the Eugenics movement over 100 years ago. This movement assumes a “normal” and an “optimal” human being. In their case, themselves being of European origin, the Eugenicists’ baseline was “Caucasian.” Every variance was considered a disordered version of the baseline. Yes, this sounds ridiculous, and indeed it is. Yet, we continue this classification today to achieve certain political and social ends. Yesterday’s eugenicist is today’s geneticist. The names have changed. The goals haven’t.

Back to the human brain and autism, and our research. What if autism and so-called autism spectrum disorders aren’t disorders at all but variances in the wiring diagram of the human brain. As a Christian, I believe in an intentional God, omniscient and omnipotent. My God is teleological, expressed in the concept of Alpha and Omega – knowing the beginning and the end of all things … including our lives. I believe that God doesn’t make mistakes. I further believe that we humans lack the perspective to see the entirety of creation and God’s plan.

With this in mind, what if the wiring difference commonly known as autism isn’t a mistake or a disorder? If it’s not a mistake, what purpose does this wiring plan serve? Is autism a new thing, a new epidemic, or has it been around for a long time? As an interesting aside, it is the eugenicists within many so-called autism support groups that seek to cement the idea of the autistic brain as disordered into the collective consciousness. Their goal, the perfection of mankind, necessarily works for the day when people like me do not exist. Their genetic quest concludes with an invitro test for autism so as to advise expectant parents that it’s better to abort than keep this rather burdensome child. What they’ve done for Downs Syndrome, they seek to do for autism. It is for this reason that many autistic people, myself included, see these groups as a vile and hateful.

Back to the point, what purpose might a relatively solitary, intuitive, highly intelligent human serve? The research shows that what is now considered autism has been with us for thousands of years and has survived through the natural selection process. For example, researchers now believe that what we call autism may have had advantages in humans’ hunter-gatherer past.

For example, USC’s Jared Reser looked at how autism’s strengths may have played a role in evolution. Individuals on the autism spectrum would have had the mental tools to be self-sufficient foragers in environments marked by diminished social contact. The penchant for obsessive, repetitive activities would have been focused by hunger and thirst towards the learning and refinement of hunting and gathering skills. Their desire for peace and solitude may have pushed them beyond the boundaries of civilization – turning them into the first explorers.

Thus, if an intentional, omniscient, and omnipotent God created the autistic brain for a purpose, and that purpose is being rediscovered via research, how might we define the autistic brain as created? In my research, I liken the autistic brain to an unregulated quantum field generator. What psychiatrists see as disorder is actually the result of an untrained person in control of this powerful tool as it processes time. There are two basic ways to process time, chronologically and teleologically. The majority of humans process time chronologically – sequentially. The past is past. Here we are now. The future is ahead of us somewhere. Not so with the autistic brain.

The autistic brain processes time much like it’s creator, teleologically, albeit in a much-limited fashion. Past, present, and future are blended together with purpose and plan to form a multi-dimensional mental image of the person’s Quality World. Anxiety and depression can result when an untrained person attempts to manage their personal quantum field generator – essentially attempting to choose the “correct” path among multiple possible outcomes (or a cascading probability calculation), with the operator unanchored by time. Seeing “the problem” in this way, one can easily explain why modern psychiatry has no answer in “treating” autism. They don’t understand how the autistic brain works, so they label it disordered, then attempt to dull it through powerful narcotics. Their “solution” completely unsustainable, not to mention unethical.

Thus it is that we find ourselves focused on a two-fold mission. Our Vocational Services help our clients achieve a degree of financial freedom and our Research Services help by preparin g the way for the next generation. We're focusssed on improving lives and outcomes, helping things go right.

There are many ways in which you can help. You can help is financially. We're a registered non-profit and your donations are tax deductible. You can help in spreading the word of what we're doing. You can help by volunteering. You can simply be a friend and ally to an actually autistic person, like me.

If you'd like to know more, contact us today.

Thank you for reading this far and for your support."

Autism

The pathologizing of autism treats the autistic brain as "broken" or "disordered." Beginning research from this standpoint skews outcomes. Our research of the autistic brain and the autistic person starts from the premise that autism is "normal" and that autistic brains and bodies work as designed. The key to unlocking the potential of the autistic person lies in exploring their potential and purpose.

The Senses

The sensory environment in the modern world can be overwhelming. Sensory processing and integration deals with much more than just scratchy fabrics and t-shirt tags. Sensory issues involve balance, digestion, emotions, temperature regulation, and much more. If humans have six senses, sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch and, intuition, then sensory processing and integration variances will present in one, or all six of the senses.

Nutrition

The high-carb / low fat western (HCLF) diet has resulted in a spike in diabetes and heart disease since governments began it's push into the world of nutrition in the 1960s. The food pyramid is based on sponsorship, not scholarship. Keeping in line with our study of the body and mind as designed, how was our body meant to be fueled. Our nutritional coaches separate scholarly fact from corporate sponsored studies to deliver the best information on human nutrition. We have found that the way humans fueled their body for thousands of generations actually does work quite well. We recommend a return to the low-carb / high fat (LCHF) diet that worked for humans since time immemorial to run the body at optimal levels.

Fitness & Self-Defense

People with sensory issues often do not like fitness training. Noisy / smelly gyms, loud music, fast stepping combinations, aggressive coaches ... it's a recipe for a meltdown. We combine the best of East and West to create a program that's right for each student. From the ancient (Qi Gong / Tai Chi) to the modern (Sambo / Systema) from simple stretches to heavy kettlebells, we take the time to craft a program that can be done anywhere. No expensive memberships. You have all that you need right around you to keep fit.

Building on a baseline of fitness, our self-defense instruction is founded in the real world of threats faced by autistic people everyday. We feature instruction and training in the Russian Martial Art of са́мбо. The word са́мбо (Sambo) is a a portmanteau for самозащита без оружия (samozashchita bez oruzhiya), which literally translates as "self-defence without weapons". We pair this with instruction and training in Система (Systema). Система is a complete set of concepts and training components that enhance one’s life. In this case, acquiring the martial art skill is a way to improve the function of all seven physiological systems of the body and all three levels of human abilities the physical, the psychological and the spiritual.

The key principle of the Russian Systema is non-destruction. The goal is to make sure that your training and your attitudes do no damage to the body or the psyche of you or your partners. Systema is designed to create, build and strengthen your body, your psyche, your family and your country.

Systema has another name “poznai sebia” or “Know Yourself”. What does it really mean to Understand Yourself? It is not just to know what your strengths and weaknesses are, that is good but fairly superficial. Training in Russian Martial Art is one of the sure ways to see the full extent of our limitations - to see how proud and weak we really are. Systema allows us to gain the true strength of spirit that comes from humility and clarity in seeing the purpose of our life.

Together, Sambo and Systema provide the perfect skill-set that allows autistic to lead a peaceful life, confident in the fact that they can care for their own safety needs.

Forensic Sciences

Forensic science represents a growing and well paying field. You will find many autistic people currently working in the forensic sciences. Our research and vocational services focus on the digital and multimedia domains (Forensic Multimedia Analysis). We are actively involved in the creation of an undergraduate / graduate curriculum for a course of study in this new field as well as delivering professional training and services to the greater community of practitioners.

Vocational Issues

The eugenics movement sees the different and the disabled as needing a cure, or needing to be prevented. The eugenicist seeks to shuffle off and marginalize the weak and the vulnerable. They have advocated for exemptions to the Fair Labor Standards Act in the US so that employers can pay disabled / differently abled people less than a minimum wage. We believe that all humans deserve dignity and love. There is no dignity or love in the eugenics movement. To that end, we explore the many ways in which employers can easily accommodate the range of humanity in order to make workplaces more inclusive.

Jim Hoerricks, PhD, Pn1, Director research services at the Praeceptory has spent a lifetime exploring the range of diagnostic medicine - as a patient, which now guides his work as a certified nutrition coach. Western medicine starts with a baseline of normal, then seeks to prescribe it's way back to normal. Here's his statement on nutrition that informs our nutritional work at the Abbey.

"I have sensory issues. I've had them my whole life. Sensory issues can impact bodily functions like digestion. In my case, I've spent a lifetime trying to figure out why I seemed to always feel sick and tired. I've spent almost a half a century feeling sick and tired of being sick and tired.

I've had endoscopies. I've had radiological studies. I've had all sorts of pills. I've had all sorts of nutritional advice. I've been fat, sick, and nearly dead. When a pill's side effects are too much to bear, often another pill was prescribed. There were side effects upon side effects.

But, I'm autistic. I'm primarily non-verbal. It has been very difficult communicating just what level of suck I was feeling about a particular pill or diagnostic test. After about a half-million dollars of work, I was done with it all. I was finally in a position in life to be able to change insurance plans from an HMO to a PPO, and thus be able to have more control over my journey to health. This is when I found the right doctor.

I found a clinical nutritionist who understood the autistic body and brain. I was examined from that standpoint. After a few sessions and a few rather non-invasive tests, I discovered that I am histamine intolerant - the root of all of my discomfort and pain. Histamine containing foods can cause inflammation in the body. In my body, it was like having a truck with a flame thrower moving it's way down my digestive path. I was given a new diet to follow - time restricted (to manage my energy / hormone levels and thus sleep better), high-fat / low-carb (to run my body as designed), histamine free diet. Within a few days, I was pain free. Within a few weeks, I was medication free. Within a few months, I had dropped some of the weight that I gained from being on a lot of medication. Now, almost a year later, I have lost all of the extra weight that I gained through my journey with western medicine and weigh about what I weighed at my high school graduation. I feel great - which is the most important.

I share my story with you in order to begin a conversation about nutrition health. I've been told by doctors to be gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, and all sorts of other "healthy" options. They all didn't work. Why? Because most doctors have less than 10 hours of nutritional education and are reading from some pamphlet that was sponsored by a group with a financial interest in keeping you in the doctor's office. Histamine intolerance is actually quite common in people who are from families with less than 5 generations living in western societies, eating western foods. It's also common in people with Rh negative blood types. Having a high level of sensitivity, like sensory processing issues, is also a contributing factor. Thus, it's no wonder I'm having problems. All three describe me.

I hope that, in sharing my story, you will find a bit of hope. There are counselors, coaches, and doctors out there that understand you. They understand how you, the autistic person, are designed. They understand how to fuel your body in a way that doesn't leave you fat, sick and in the doctor's office all the time."

If you'd like to know more, or if you'd like to be introduced to one of our network of specialists, contact us today.

Thank you for reading this far and for your support."

Acts 2:6 (GNV) describes a scene in the history of the Church that has great relevence to the autistic community. "Now when this was noised, the multitude came together and were astonished, because that every man heard them speak his own language." Within this scene, as it unfolded, a rather diverse crowd was gathered. "Cretes, and Arabians: we heard them speak in our own tongues the wonderful works of God."

If you've made it this far in our web site, you've likely realized that our focus is centered on the autistic community. Thus, consider this: if God saw fit to assure that His meassage was heard at the times described in the Acts of the Apostles, and this "translation service" as facilitated by the Holy Spirit, how might God communicate His message in modern times to a non-verbal autistic person? Once again, the Holy Spirit has intervened.

We realize that the modern Christian church can easily contribute to sensory overload. Cheerful greeters, hugs and handshakes, smells of perfumes and incense, crowds, abrupt noises, the music program ... These regular services can often overwhelm the autistic perishoner within the first few minutes. As such, many choose to avoid gathering with the Body of Christ in order to satisfy a primal safety need.

It's important to remember, God created the autistic brain within the autistic person. That person operates as designed by their Creator. Just as at the Pentacost, the Holy Spirit faciitated the transfer of information by allowing all of those assembled to hear the meassage in their own language, so does the Holy Spirit guide our work in bringing the Body of Christ to the autistic person.

Like the traveling ministers of wild west, we're bringing the Gospel to the remote parts of the world. Unlike the old preachers, we're not building large tents and gathering large crowds. We're respectfully bringing the Gospel to the place that is the most comfortable to the individual autistic person and their family.

Acts 2:44-47 continues to inform our work. Given the many financial hardships that confront the autistic community, members of our extended Church family help bear the costs and burdens as they are able. Our work is further supported by loving individuals from around the world.

If you'd like a visit, if you need help, if you'd like to join with us, or if you'd like to support our mission in some way, we’d love to hear from you. You can reach us at [email protected]. Just say hello or let us know how we can help you. If you prefer you can also use the contact form below.

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