Dear LFTP: the inclusive dinner and the autistic boy
- How can I stay inclusive when a new family's severely autistic child disrupts my neighborhood movie night?
Mike reads the first Dear LFTP letter: a single woman hosts monthly inclusive neighborhood dinners and movie nights (kids, dogs, a ramp for an elderly neighbor), but a new couple's severely autistic six-year-old screamed, threw food, bit, spit, and hit kids and dogs for an hour, and the parents now offer to alternate staying home — she wants a 'magic wand.' One host suggests sensory strategies (squeezy toys, weighted blankets); Mike says it is not loving to pretend the boy does not have severe autism and that respite care may help the parents; another host argues for serving people in their uniqueness (the St. Paul's Cathedral elevator analogy) — the appearance of inclusion is not service if nobody enjoyed themselves. The Secular answer: no magic wand; invite the family on a separate evening without other children and pets at risk.
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No magic wand (the Secular answer on inclusion)
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