"Through asking questions of the leadership team regarding access requirements and needs, I was placed in the position of “impossible subject.” www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/23312521.2023.2249452?needAccess=true

Next week the Centre is involved in a webinar hosted by Church for Everyone. You can find more information and register via the link below. Supporting Hidden Differences: Building Church Culture for ‘Belonging’ Wednesday 4 March 2026 stjamesandemmanuel.org/supporting-h...

This week's quote is from an article by one of our researchers, Paula Duncan, on researching OCD within the context of Practical Theology. Read the article here: practicaltheologyhub.com?p=682

In this month's CATChat episode, Krysia, Ian, and Zoe reflect on fellowship through social groups and activities such as Pokemon Go and D&D. Listen here: tr.ee/v1JmTAcjX6 Transcript available here: share.transistor.fm/s/a539d1aa/t...

"Autism narratives remind us of the shape and importance of the diversity of love. Autistic love reminds us that the ways of love revealed in Christ are diverse, deep and open." Read here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1... Watch our webinar with John here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wbW...

"The starting point for considering autism as it affects persons within the church is that it is already a reality within the body of Christ, and that the proper response to it must be made by the body." Read the book: muse.jhu.edu/book/71663 Buy the book: www.baylorpress.com/978148131125...

Have you registered for our webinar taking place next week? Faith, Hope, and Autism 🌐 12th February 2026, 4-5:30pm (GMT) Join us to hear from John Allister about his upcoming book 'Faith, Hope, and Autism: Biblical Models of Neurodiversity' Register: forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/Respon...

In this month's episode, Ian speaks with Sheila Akomiah about her work on the Access Denied project, exploring the spiritual lives of non-speaking autistic individuals, and back autistic adult individuals. Listen: tr.ee/v1JmTAcjX6 Transcript: share.transistor.fm/s/35bc4ac1/t...

In association with the Centre, Church for Everyone is hosting a webinar on Supporting Hidden Differences: Building Church Culture for ‘Belonging.’ The webinar takes place on Wednesday 4 March 2026, 7.30pm to 9.30pm (UK Time)

"Autistic people reported experiencing significantly more sensory barriers in church/worship services and rated that they may not attend church/find attending difficult because of the sensory environment." Read the article here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10....

What is the Centre for Autism and Theology and what do we do? Swipe to learn more about the Centre! Visit our website: www.abdn.ac.uk/dhpa/researc... Subscribe to our newsletter: forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

"One frequently mentioned attitude in my study was the simple acknowledgement by participants that ‘for me, things will be different’. Such an attitude manages autistic worshipper expectations but risks the eventual breakdown of engagement" www.tandfonline.com/doi/epub/10....

In this month's CATChat episode, Ian, Zoe, and Krysia reflect on how overwhelming the news can be, especially on social media, and how we can manage feelings of overwhelm while still remaining informed. Listen here: tr.ee/v1JmTAcjX6 Transcript here: share.transistor.fm/s/b7fc323c/t...

Thanks to @autismtheology.bsky.social for mentioning the upcoming book by Helena Cundill in their newsletter. It's called Praying by the Rules: What Autistic People Teach the Church about Prayer and comes out in March. You can find out more here and pre-order: scmpress.hymnsam.co.uk/books/978033...

Webinar: Faith, Hope, and Autism 🌐 12th February 2026, 4-5:30pm (GMT) Join us to hear from John Allister about his upcoming book 'Faith, Hope, and Autism: Biblical Models of Neurodiversity' Register here: forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/Respon...

Today's quote is by Lizzy Peach "It is vital that our definitions of personhood are not dependent, for example, on restricting our understanding of what it means to be relational beings to non-autistic ways of relating to and communicating with others." www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10....

Have you caught up on the recordings from our Faith on the Margins conference? This is a clip from Léon van Ommen and Sheila Akomiah’s presentation on the spiritual and religious lives of non - or minimally - speaking autistic people. Watch all recordings here: youtube.com/playlist?lis...

This week's quote is from Léon van Ommen's book, Autism and Worship: "Being in Christ, the believers live a new life, which leads self-evidently to new ways of relating - of being present - to­ each other." www.baylorpress.com/978148131989... Ebook: ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/abdn/det...

In this month's podcast episode, Ian speaks with Henna Cundill on the topic of ADHD and prayer. Listen here: tr.ee/v1JmTAcjX6 Transcript here: share.transistor.fm/s/6cfbed73/t...

Faith on the Margins Conference Recordings We are pleased to share that the recordings from our conference in November are now available on YouTube! We had three days of fascinating and enriching presentations and conversations. Watch here: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

In this month's CATChat episode Krysia, Ian and Zoe reflect on the New Years Eve (or Hogmanay if you're Scottish) and neurodiversity. Listen here:https://tr.ee/v1JmTAcjX6 Transcript here: share.transistor.fm/s/d38f5903/t...

This month on the Autism and Theology Podcast Krysia is joined by Harriet Axbey for our annual Christmas episode! 🎄 Listen here: tr.ee/v1JmTAcjX6 Transcript here: share.transistor.fm/s/9f3b5aae/t...

This week's quote is from an article on dyslexia and reading the Bible by one of our PhD researchers, Zoe Strong. Read the article here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10....

This month on our CATChat episode Krysia, Ian and Amund (one of our Masters students) reflect on the Centre’s recent conference. Listen here: tr.ee/v1JmTAcjX6 Transcript here: share.transistor.fm/s/273054cb/t... Recordings of the conference will be made available before the end of December.

This week's quote is from an article by one of our PhD researchers, Christopher Barber, on autism and spirituality. Read the article here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1... Listen to our podcast episode with Christopher: open.spotify.com/episode/1STq...

Some of our followers may be interested in this Seen&Unseen article by one of our researchers, Dr Henna Cundill: ‘How to help someone with ADHD to live well’ www.seenandunseen.com/how-help-som...

This week's quote is from an article by a few of our researchers which discusses the emerging field of autism and theology. Read the full article here: ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TI...

In this month's episode, Ian talks with Jon Machnee from the Christianity on the Spectrum podcast about his insights into autistic experiences of Christianity Listen: tr.ee/v1JmTAcjX6 Transcript: share.transistor.fm/s/aab2606b/transcript.txt

There is still time to register for the Faith on the Margins conference taking place 5th-7th November! www.abdn.ac.uk/dhpa/research/centres/centre-for-autism-and-theology/conference-november-2025/

This week's quote is from one of our PhD researchers, Elizabeth Peach. Read the full article here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10....

Our online conference takes place next week on the 5th - 7th November! Faith on the Margins: Engaging with Nonspeaking and Black Autistic Christians See the full conference schedule and FAQs here: www.abdn.ac.uk/dhpa/researc... Register here: forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

This week's quote is by Krysia Waldock. "Through asking questions of the leadership team regarding access requirements and needs, I was placed in the position of “impossible subject.” www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23312521.2023.2249452

Frequently asked questions for our upcoming conference! We hope this gives you all the answers you need, but please email [email protected] if you still have any questions. A full conference schedule can be found here: www.abdn.ac.uk/dhpa/researc... Register: forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

This week's quote is from Léon van Ommen. an autistic reader ‘froze’ during his turn to give the reading. The congregation had clearly learned to deal with such moments in patience, giving the person time, without fuss or intervention. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1756073X.2022.2080630

In this month's CATChat episode, Ian and Krysia talk about autism, research, and public engagement. They discuss different ways that they share about their research publicly and in their communities. Listen here: tr.ee/v1JmTAcjX6 Transcript: share.transistor.fm/s/7e8b9193/t...

Faith on the Margins Conference 5th-7th November 2025, 11am-5pm (GMT) 🌐 Register here: forms.office.com/Pages/Respon... Day 1: Autism and spirituality Day 2: Autism and communication Day 3: Autism and ethnically minoritised communities #autism #autismtheology #autismchurchity

This week's quote is from an article by one of our researchers, Lizzy Peach. "If non-autistic ways of showing love or welcome are valued more highly in our churches, this is a challenge to our understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ." www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

"being able to practice social interaction within a safe space, within a fictional universe where there are no real-world consequences, presents great value to the autistic person." ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TIS/article/view/2576

In this month's episode Zoe speaks with Rachel Terlop about neurodiversity and creative practice 🎨 Listen here: tr.ee/v1JmTAcjX6 Transcript: share.transistor.fm/s/cf7d6555/t... Find out more about Rachel: www.mrsterlop.com

🚨 New publication 🚨 One of our PhD researchers, Lizzy Peach, has recently published an article in the Journal of Practical Theology titled: Autistic Christians and their experiences of faith, worship, and community in Evangelical churches in the UK www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Explore more about what celebrating the image of God in everybody means in worship with @autismtheology.bsky.social Director, Dr Leon Van Ommen at @sarumcollege.bsky.social online on 9th Oct: www.sarum.ac.uk/short-course...

"Empathy can be developed and discerned, even when there is a significant barrier in language and lifeworld. It can contribute to the kind of understanding needed for the task of practical theology." aura.abdn.ac.uk/server/api/core/bitstreams/ad3d9948-b819-4693-a541-03668a0e9158/content

Faith on the Margins: Engaging with Nonspeaking and Black Autistic Christians 5th-7th November 2025, 11am-5pm (GMT) 🌐 Register here: forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=rRkrjJxf1EmQdz7Dz8UrPzNFa7ljapNItVtbi6_NWAZUNkw1Qko3OUVTRVZNOTJWVjlITDhSSFpCNy4u

This week's quote is from a chapter by Léon van Ommen and Krysia Waldock. "...differences are not going away. But when non-autistic people get to know autistic people, they will also start to value autistic people and appreciate their gifts." wipfandstock.com/9798385203321/pathways-to-belonging/

Can you believe we have been running the Autism and Theology Podcast for 2 years?! In this month's CATChat episode, we reflect on the last year and look ahead to what we have planned for this coming year. Listen: tr.ee/v1JmTAcjX6 Transcript: share.transistor.fm/s/e2c18781/t...

We had a fantastic time at the Ecclesiology and Ethnography conference in Durham last week! It was a great opportunity to showcase some of the Centre’s work and hear from so many interesting scholars researching people and the church.

This week's quote is from Henna Cundill. God has always been attentive to those who feel divergent. While the media circus may be new, we can be sure that God has always been attentive to those with ADHD. seenandunseen.com/paying-attention-adhd-it-really-just-fad

Faith on the Margins: Engaging with Nonspeaking and Black Autistic Christians 5th-7th November 2025, 11am-5pm (GMT) 🌐 Register here: forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=rRkrjJxf1EmQdz7Dz8UrPzNFa7ljapNItVtbi6_NWAZUNkw1Qko3OUVTRVZNOTJWVjlITDhSSFpCNy4u #autism #autismtheology #autismchurch

This week's quote is from an article on dyslexia and reading the Bible by Zoe Strong and Léon van Ommen. Read the article here: tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/23312521.2022.2041531?needAccess=true

On this month's episode of the Autism and Theology podcast, Krysia speaks with Brian Irvine from the Centre for Research in Autism and Education. They discuss perceptual processing and faith. Listen here: tr.ee/v1JmTAcjX6 Transcript here: share.transistor.fm/s/5e25cac1/t...