Autism and the evangelisation of children and young people

Lucia Maia Moraes Moysés (photo) is a retired Psychology and Education university lecturer from Universidade Federal Fluminense in the Brazilian city of Niterói. She is also a volunteer member at Casa de Batuíra Spiritist Centre in the neighbouring city of São Gonçalo, also in the state of Rio de Janeiro. In this interview, she speaks about her experience in the evangelisation of children and young people, which also includes those with autism. That is the subject of a book she has published recently, entitled A Evangelização de Portas Abertas para o Autismo (Evangelisation with Open Doors for Autism):

When and how did you become a Spiritist?

My great grandfather, my grandmother and my mother were all Spiritists. I grew up hearing my mother talk about Spiritism, at the same time as I witnessed her doing charity and helping others, as Spiritism teaches us. My paternal grandparents, however, were Lebanese migrants, Maronite Catholics. As they didn’t want people in Brazil to think they were Muslims, they made a point of bringing the whole family up as Catholics, taking them to church regularly. In a grand gesture of religious tolerance, my mother agreed that all her children be baptised and follow all Catholic rituals. But what I had learned from my mother prevailed in the end and when I was about 20 years old I became a Spiritist. 

What strikes you the most in Spiritism? 

It’s the awareness that Our Father created us so that we progress spiritually through the practice of love. And so that we achieve that, he offers us countless opportunities to reincarnate. To know that God loves us unconditionally and that we carve our own destiny is something that has always fascinated me. 

And where does your passion for evangelisation come from?

It all began when my darling friend Hermínio Miranda [one of Brazil’s most important Spiritist writers, researchers and translators, who lived between 1920 and 2013] advised me to focus on that area. At the time, I had already begun slowing down my professional activities. I attended a Spiritist Centre that had recently opened in my neighbourhood and the invitation came because of my degree and professional experience in education. And I’ve remained involved in the evangelisation of children and young people for almost 30 years now. 

And when did you begin your involvement in evangelisation of those with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD?

For many years I’ve written books about Spiritist education. One day, in 2018, during a mediumship meeting at the Spiritist Centre I attend,Anália Franco, a Spirit who’s very dear to me, sent me a message. She asked me to begin writing for people with autism, saying that they also needed to know the Gospel of Jesus. 

If you take into account the different levels of autism and inclusion, how much can you integrate other children and volunteers working in evangelisation groups?

I believe that everyone with autism can be fully involved, as evangelisation groups are aimed at educating the Spirit. In some cases, those on level 3 of the spectrum may need special support from someone. The best practice is to prepare the classes bearing everyone in mind. Autistic children will, naturally, want to leave the room, or to stand up or to make movements that will help them adjust. And we must understand that. For us to have a truly inclusive Spiritist Centre, we must train and prepare volunteers to be able to deal with the singularities of all of those who attend its events and activities. Spiritist Centres must consider different types of accessibility and must adapt to the needs of everyone and, as often as possible, discuss the issue in talks and seminars. 

Is there any special tip that you would like to share with other volunteer workers?

It’s very important for the person in charge of a group that includes a child or young people from the autistic spectrum to display a board with all the activities, in sequence, avoiding any surprises. It’s equally relevant to prepare the whole class, in advance, to welcome and to be able to deal with other children and young people with any kind of disorder or disability. 

Tell us about your book.

In my book, I tried to explain basic scientific information about autism and include the practice of evangelisation. I made a point of adding day-to-day examples to the theory, as well as testimonials from mothers of autistic children. There is a chapter in which I describe the cases of many “non-verbal” young people with autism who were able to begin communicating after being introduced to other writing methods, like special sound keyboards. I also sought to explain this disorder in the light of Spiritism. I must stress, however, that it’s not our role as educators to discuss the spiritual causes of autism. Our role is to embrace everyone with lots of love. 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would like to remind families of the importance of Spiritist evangelisation for children and young people. And I would like to appeal to them to return to the groups and classes, as many have stayed away after the Covid pandemic. The fraternal atmosphere and spiritual ambience everyone experiences in those groups, as well as the information that is shared there, is like light for our souls.And that light will shine as we move forward in the pathway of our spiritual evolution.