High-functioning Autism, Faith Formation, and Spiritual Growt

The goal of this dissertation project was to examine the individual experiences and perspectives of family members of young high-functioning autistic (HFA) individuals and the experiences and perspectives of young HFA individuals themselves. This qualitative dissertation explored through face-to-face, Skype, and phone interviews, the communication strategies parents used to communicate Christian faith to HFA young people, the challenges they face in their attempts to communicate faith, and the types of support they have found helpful in communicating faith to HFA young people. Both parents and HFA young people shared their perceptions and experiences within faith communities and the challenges they face when engaging with faith communities. The dissertation project's findings indicate that parents identified a number of effective communication strategies to help them in communicating matters of faith. Parents identified challenges associated with their own communication of faith to HFA young people and challenges they faced when interacting within faith communities. Parents identified some helpful types of supports but also identified supports they need when communicating matters of faith. HFA young people identified several ways faith communities have helped them develop their faith but were also able to identify several existing challenges they experience when engaging with faith communities.