Indispensable People
Making the Gospel Accessible to people of ALL abilities so that they may know Christ, grow in Him, and serve Him with the gifts He has given them.
Indispensable People
What If Their "Difficult" Behavior Is Actually Perfect Logic?
Every person deserves the opportunity to know Christ, grow in Him and serve Him with the gifts He has given, regardless of their ability. The church is missing 80% of the 65 million Americans who have disabilities, and understanding structured logical thinking in autism can help bridge this gap.
• Structured logical thinking in autism involves preference for order, routine, and predictability
• People with autism often excel in attention to detail, pattern recognition, and logical reasoning
• Behaviors that may seem rigid are often expressions of needs rather than defiance or manipulation
• Resistance to change and literal interpretation of language are common characteristics
• Supporting individuals with autism requires consistent routines, clear communication, and respect for special interests
• Creating sensory-friendly environments helps reduce stress and anxiety
• Building authentic relationships with empathy and understanding leads people to Jesus
• Recognizing different thinking patterns as valuable expressions of neurodiversity enhances ministry
For deeper dives into these topics and more, check out indispensable-people.com and visit Amazon to purchase the books The Indispensable Kid and Gospel Accessibility and the Indispensable People.
Hi, my name is Tracy Correll and welcome to Indispensable People. I'm a wife, mom, teacher, pastor and missionary and I believe that every person should have the opportunity to know Christ, grow in Him and serve Him with the gifts that he has given, no matter their ability. Over 65 million Americans have a disability. That's 25% of the population. However, over 80% of them are not inside the walls of our church. Let's dive into those hard topics, biblical foundations, perceptions and welcome to this episode of Indispensable People.
Speaker 1:Today I'm excited to talk to you about diving into the world of structured logical thinking, in particular with individuals with autism. Logical thinking, in particular with individuals with autism. Our aim today is to unravel how this unique cognitive process influences behavior and how we can respond with empathy and understanding, recognizing that such behaviors are often expressions of needs rather than mere acts of defiance or indulgence. And let's kind of dive into a little bit more specific. Structured logical thinking is kind of a hallmark of autism spectrum disorder. It refers to preference for order, routine and predictability. It refers to preference for order, routine and predictability, and individuals with autism often excel in logical reasoning, focusing on details and identifying patterns, and this can kind of come out in a strong adherence to those routines or particular ways of doing things, which might seem really rigid, especially to those who are not familiar with autism at all. So here are some of the characteristics of that structured logical thinking. First is the attention to detail. Many individuals with autism have exceptional ability to notice details that others might overlook. It is kind of a detailed, a detail-oriented approach that can lead to deeper understanding of specific subjects or interests. And that's where you really see the capitalization of the topic of neurodiversity, where you see the things that are going on with someone with autism and how their brain thinks differently. But that becomes a highlight to the things that they're learning and they're thinking and a benefit to themselves and those around them and the intelligence that comes with it.
Speaker 1:Another step to this structured logical thinking is pattern recognition. People with autism often excel at recognizing patterns, which can make them particularly skilled in areas like mathematics or music and computer programming. Another thing to consider is the preference for routine, and it provides a sense of safety and predictability. Deviations from routine can cause discomfort or anxiety as they disrupt the logical flow that the individual has come to rely on. So when I'm telling you this and I'm sharing these characteristics with you immediately makes me think of the character Sean from the Good Doctor, who, incredibly intelligent but very rigid and structured on routines, not necessarily catching the social aspects of different things, and having to kind of learn his way around that. Now, with this all in mind, I want you to please understand that this does not describe every person with autism. It does not set the stage of every person's experience, every person's level of intelligence and need for these different characteristics. This is a generalization and it is kind of a wide range and just as autism is a spectrum, for a reason it really hits so many different things that are not going to identify all of those characteristics for each person.
Speaker 1:So we want to understand how the structured logical thinking influences behavior right, because especially when we're raising kids or we're discipling young people, we are looking to behavior and we're wanting to modify some of that behavior, grow and mature it, and a lot of times our reactions to certain behaviors are based on what we understand. The generalization of the behaviors is and typically a child behaves in a certain way to achieve a goal right. A child behaves in a certain way to achieve a goal right and what we need to understand is that is not always going to line up and be the case with someone that lives this logical thinking way of life. It is not just going to be a manipulation or a reaching of a goal or something like that. It is because it is outside of that logical, rigid thinking, and so then they don't know what to do with it, they don't know how to handle themselves or they don't know how to get through the process that you're leading them through without having that rigid, structured thinking. So you're going to see a resistance to change. Changes in routines or environments can be really challenging. This resistance is not about being stubborn, but rather about the discomfort of the unpredictability. You also might see a high focus on interest, because that interest, engaging deeply with these interests, can be a source of joy and comfort for them.
Speaker 1:We also want to take into consideration literal interpretation, where individuals with autism may interpret language and situations literally. This can lead to big misunderstandings, especially if figurative language or sarcasm is used. So how can we respond? How can we step into the world of structured logical thinking and help? Especially when we see behaviors in individuals with autism differently that might be due to this, it's essential to interpret them through the lens of the structured logical thinking. So let's talk about some strategies to support Number one. We want to embrace routine, so, whenever possible, maintain consistent routines. We've talked about this across the board. Whether it's an intellectual disability, anxiety, adhd, autism, this is beneficial for everyone across the board.
Speaker 1:If changes are necessary, we want to provide clear explanations and advance notice to help with the transitions. We want to respect special interests, encourage and validate them. We want to utilize them as powerful tools for learning and engagement. We want to have clear communication, direct language, avoid idioms and figurative speech that might be misinterpreted. We also want to provide choices. When we offer choices, we empower those individuals by giving them a sense of control, reducing anxiety that comes with decision making. We also want to always consider, with all of these things, sensory considerations, being mindful of those sensitivities. Loud noises, bright lights, crowded spaces creating a sensory friendly environment can really help reduce stress. And in all of that, we want to recognize the communication needs.
Speaker 1:It's crucial to recognize that behaviors stemming from structural logical thinking are often ways of communicating needs, rather than viewing these as behaviors such as, you know, spoiled. They're just getting what we want, demanding that kind of thing. We want to listen actively and pay attention to both verbal and nonverbal cues, because those behaviors are often forms of communication, expressing those needs, whether it's discomfort or whatever it might be. We want to empathize, we want to put ourselves in their shoes, we want to imagine how it might feel to navigate their world that seems unpredictable and often overwhelming. And we want to collaborate. We want to work together with the individual, also with their parents or their caregivers, to help really foster that supportive environment.
Speaker 1:Understanding and appreciating the structured logical thinking of individuals with autism allows us to respond with empathy and respect, and those are key in relationship building. And relationship building leads to Jesus and that is how we bring more of the indispensable people into the family of God, and that is our goal. So let's do that. Let's take into consideration this structured logical thinking, how it can impact the way that we interact, how those who we are interacting with behave, and how we can build true, authentic relationships with people who need Jesus and just might think about it in a different way than you or I Do. I know everything about disability ministry. Do I have all the answers? Have I done everything perfectly? I have absolutely not, but we are going to continue this conversation so that people of all abilities can have the opportunity to know Christ, grow in Him and serve Him with the gifts that he has given them. For deeper dives into these topics and more, check out indispensablepeoplecom and visit Amazon to purchase the books the Indispensable Kid and Gospel. Accessibility and the Indispensable People.
