Neurodiversity and Faith Communities
Can a congregation welcome everyone?
Each week churches accidentally turn away neurodiverse people because they don’t understand them.
And that’s understandable — it’s hard to see your community from the perspective of someone whose mind is different!
Few ministry leaders get the training that allows them to understand the experiences of neurodiverse folks.
Who are we?
In the thick of it
We’re neurodiverse parents of neurodiverse kids. We have church backgrounds, and know how hard it can be to help people who are different.
Caitlin’s an occupational therapist who founded Nurture in Nature to help neurodiverse families find more peace and joyful connection in their daily lives.
Brandon’s a teacher who founded Science is WEIRD to help kids with all kinds of minds fall in love with the world.
We both live in Rochester, Minnesota (where we’re married to different spouses!). We believe that a strong community needs strong congregations, and we’re committed to helping our local religious communities flourish.
What do we do?
Understand the perspectives of neurodiverse folks
We’ll help you understand what some of these labels — like “autism” and “ADHD” — actually mean, and what it’s like to have them.
We’ll help you navigate some of the vexing political disputes around talking about these, in a way that only faith communities can do.
We’ll help you see church from the points of view of neurodiverse adults and kids.
You’ll come away with strategies for helping make your congregation a place where all can worship.
“I have so many ideas and thought it was AWESOME.”
What are the options?
We offer three levels of support to meet congregations where they are.
Intro Q&A
A virtual consultation with occupational therapist Caitlin (Katie) Lamping to help you think through the challenges your congregation faces.
30 minutes
$40
Virtual Presentation
An imaginative, content-rich presentation spotlighting stats and facts to help us better understand folks with ADHD and autism.
Includes Q&A
Approximately an hour
$170
In-person Deep Dive
We come to one of your weekly services as observant guests. Following the service, we will share a content-rich presentation for all in your congregation interested in reaching out and serving a growing neurodivergent population. They’ll be able to engage in an energizing conversation around what challenges your community faces — and what you might do to overcome them. Afterwards, we provide you with a report of our recommendations.
Includes Q&A
Approximately an hour
in addition to the observation time
$330
How do I jump in?
Just give us a ping, and we’ll get back to you!