Catechesis for Special Needs

Welcome!

You are in the right place to find ongoing support and resources for parishes that minister to children with special needs and their families.

Click here to read the complete Vision statement on Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Catechesisfor the Archdiocese of Hartford.

Did you know?

All children who have been baptized are entitled to receive the Sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation.

A religious education curriculum can be adapted and/or modified to meet the needs of children with disabilities. Their presence in the program is a sign and symbol of God’s love for all.

The timing and frequency of instruction can be adapted to the child’s particular needs and abilities.

The catechist for children with disabilities does not need a background in special education. Resources and guidance are now available to help catechists meet the needs of these children.

Although all children are encouraged to learn and pray the basic prayers (Our Father, Hail Mary, Sign of the Cross), memorization of these prayers is not a requirement to receive the sacraments.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation may be received (and is often recommended to be received) at a later date, rather than just prior to receiving First Eucharist.

The OEEC will provide ongoing support and resources to parishes that minister to children with special needs.

Adapted from “Recognizing the Gift: A Parish Resource Guide for Welcoming Children with Disabilities” Archdiocese of New York, 2014.

Resources from Missio

• 11 Ways to Teach Academic Skills to Visual
• 15 Behavior Strategies for Children on the Autism Spectrum
• ADHD Strategies
• AuditoryLearners
• Learning Disabilities -- Teaching Strategies
• Reference_Tips_for_Including_Children_with_Down Syndrome
• TactileLearners

Quick links:

• Statements by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
• Curricula, textbooks
• Classroom Activities
• Celebrating the Mass with a Child with Special Needs
• Teaching Strategies
• For the Parish

Click below to read the statements put forward by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) related to persons with disability.

• Pastoral Statement of U.S. Catholic Bishops on People with Disabilities (1978)
• Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities: Revised Edition (2017)
• Highlights to the Revised Edition
• Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities (1995)
• Welcome and Justice for Persons with Disabilities (1998)
• Bienvenida y Justicia para Personas con Discapacitadas

Curricula, textbooks

• Loyola Press adaptive materials and sacramental kits
• The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Program to Improve Catholic Religious Education for Children and Adults with Intellectual Disabilities
  • From RCL Benziger
  • Communication Center

• St. Mary’s, Boston adaptation of Rose Kennedy Program for children with autism

• Institute for Pastoral Initiatives/Resources for Inclusive Catechesis from University of Dayton

Classroom activities

• Catholic Icing – free crafts
• Lambsongs Bible Stories –free printable books of Old and New Testament stories
• Free coloring pages
• Coloring and crafts blog
• CCC of America sells animated DVDs on the lives of many saints

Celebrating Mass with a Child with Special Needs

• "How to Celebrate Mass with a Child with Special Needs" article by David Rizzo
• Teaching Children with Autism and Other Disabilities to Attend Mass
• A Story about going to Mass
• We Go to Mass
• My Mass Book
• My Picture Missal Flip Book
• Living Faith Kids Praying The Mass (Booklet)
• Worshiping With Children with Special Needs

Teaching Strategies

• Sample Models of Inclusion
• Access and Inclusion Models
• Basic Strategies for Teachers of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Auditory Learners
• Helping Auditory Learners Succeed

For our parishes:

• Confirmation Themes and Learning Styles
• Eucharist Themes and Learning Styles
• Welcoming People with Disabilities so ALL May Encounter Christ
• 11 Hints for Modifying an Existing Relious Education Class Lesson for Students with IDD

Kelly Henderschedt
Archdiocesan Director of Faith Formation
Kelly.Henderschedt@aohct.org
860-242-5573 ext. 2663

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