Resources for Families and Individuals with Special Needs
Below are some resources for families and individuals with special needs.
General Resources
National Catholic Partnership on Disability
Following the example of Jesus, The National Catholic Partnership on Disability works with dioceses, parishes, ministers, and laity to promote the full and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in the life of the Church.
Accepting the Gift
Accepting the Gift is here to help parents learn to advocate for their children, provide support where none is offered, and distribute free and affordable resources so all children can learn about their faith.
acceptingthegift.org/help-for-parents/
acceptingthegift.org/product-category/free-resources/
Mass Resources from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
A list of resources to create your own sensory-friendly Mass toolkit.
opdarchphilly.org/sfm/mass-tool-kit-for-parishes-and-families/
Autistic Priest
Autistic priest Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC, shares insight about the Catholic experience with a focus on Autism and other special needs.
www.youtube.com/@AutisticPriest
www.patheos.com/blogs/throughcatholiclenses/2019/10/autistic-sensory-issues-at-mass/
Curricula
Accepting the Gift
We know that educating your children about their faith can be tough, especially when your child has unique physical, mental, or emotional challenges. That’s why we’ve created a curriculum that you can use within the supportive environment of your home to teach your children about the Catholic Church in a thorough, yet gentle, way. Our curriculum can be used from September to June program.
acceptingthegift.org/product/accepting-the-gift-religious-education-curriculum-paperback/
Friends and Intercessors
Introduce your children to a wide assortment of saints from the earliest days of the Church up through the 20th century with our colorful book, Friends & Intercessors; a year of saints and hands-on activities to introduce your child to our friends in heaven. Learn a bit about each saint, do an activity, and then explore more with the recommended books and videos. Snap it up to begin a fun, and hands-on, study of the saints.
acceptingthegift.org/product/friends-intercessors-pdf/
Finding God Adaptive Curriculum - Loyola Press (English and Spanish)
Adaptive Finding God is the foremost program of its kind, offering faith formation for children with special needs that is adaptable for a variety of settings and situations. Adaptive Finding God can be used in conjunction with the Finding God grade-level books or as a stand-alone program for parishes, schools, and at home.
www.loyolapress.com/general/special-needs/
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Program - RCL Benzinger (English and Spanish)
A comprehensive religion curriculum designed to help parents and catechists in their task of teaching special children and adults about the Catholic faith. The program may be used in a variety of religious education settings: parish religious education, either in an inclusive classroom or in a specialized setting. It may also be used in the home for family catechesis.
www.comcenter.com/program/437/Rose-Fitzgerald-Kennedy-Program/