Raising Autistic Disciples

When Christians talk about autism and healing, what exactly do we mean by healed?

Sometimes we picture something dramatic: autistic today, non-autistic tomorrow. And underneath that picture can be an assumption we may not even realize we're making: autistic means something is not whole, less autistic means becoming more whole, and non-autistic means healed.

But who decided neurotypical means whole? Because I don't think Scripture did.

In Part 3 of the Autism & Healing series, we're examining what Scripture actually teaches about wholeness, redemption, resurrection, growth, and Christlikeness—and why those categories matter for how we disciple our autistic children today.

God can grow my son. He can mature him, develop his communication, give him new skills, relieve distress, provide wise doctors and therapists, deepen friendships, grow his independence, and sanctify him. And I can praise God for every bit of that without interpreting every new skill as Graham becoming “less autistic.”

God's work does not become less divine because He works through ordinary means.

Because if I make neurotypicality the goal, I can accidentally celebrate masking as maturity, exhaustion as participation, compliance as discipleship, or silence as regulation.

I need a better target.

Christlikeness.

Romans 3:23
Ephesians 2
Romans 8
1 Corinthians 15
Revelation 21
Galatians 5:22–23

Open your Bible and ask: Where did my definition of “whole” come from? Did Scripture give it to me, or have I assumed typical means whole because typical is what I'm accustomed to seeing?

Then look at the autistic image-bearer in front of you and ask: What am I actually hoping for? Less autism? Less suffering? Greater communication? Growth? Maturity? Independence? Christlikeness?

The target matters because the target determines what we celebrate.

Average is not the definition of whole. Typical is not the definition of redeemed. Neurotypical is not the definition of holy.

God does not need to make my son neurotypical in order to be at work in his life.

Next in the series: How do we respond when another family says their child was “healed of autism”—without dismissing their testimony or turning their experience into a promise for our family?

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📚 Letters to Lindsey: Seeing Your Child's Autism Diagnosis Through a Gospel Lens 

📚 How to Advocate & Stay Christian

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If I don’t know whether God intends to remove my son’s autism this side of eternity… what exactly do I pray for?

In Part 1 of this series, we established a framework: God gets the outcome. I get the assignment. But trusting God with the outcome doesn’t mean we stop asking Him for things. Paul didn’t. In 2 Corinthians 12, he pleaded with God to remove his thorn three times. Trusting God’s sovereignty didn’t silence his prayers—and it doesn’t have to silence ours.

In this episode, I’m getting very practical about what I pray for Graham: salvation, communication, reading, regulation, patience, self-advocacy, friendships, courage, meaningful work, opportunities to use his gifts, and ultimately that he would become a disciple who makes disciples.

Because the greatest miracle I could witness in my autistic son’s life isn’t watching an autistic child become non-autistic. It’s watching a spiritually dead sinner be made alive in Christ.

And somewhere in all of this, I’m learning how to live in the tension between hope and expectation. I can desperately want something for my son, ask God boldly for it, work faithfully toward it—and still refuse to make that hoped-for outcome a burden Graham has to carry.

Ask boldly. Work faithfully. Hope deeply. Hold the outcome with open hands.

2 Corinthians 12:7–10
Ephesians 2:1–10
Romans 8:29
Romans 10:17
1 Corinthians 13
Galatians 5:22–23

Instead of ONLY asking, “Do I pray for my child’s healing?” ask:

What am I specifically asking God to do IN my child’s life?

Write it down. Salvation? Communication? Understanding? Wisdom? Courage? Friendships? Regulation? Self-advocacy? A love for Scripture? Opportunities to serve? Greater independence?

Then ask one more question:

What am I asking God to grow in ME?

Because you can’t raise an autistic disciple without first being a disciple yourself.

Jesus, make my son more like You. Not less autistic. More like Christ.

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📚 Letters to Lindsey: Seeing Your Child's Autism Diagnosis Through a Gospel Lens
📚 How to Advocate & Stay Christian
📺 Minno — Get a free 7-day trial with code RAD
🛍️ Larah’s Amazon Picks
👕 RAD Merch
✍️ Read RAD on Substack

Can God heal autism? And if God can, does that mean He has promised that He will?

In Part 1 of this four-part Autism & Healing series, Larah wrestles with the difference between God’s ability and God’s intention—and why that distinction matters for Christian parents raising autistic children.

We’ll look at what Scripture allows us to be certain about, where faithful theology may require us to say “I don’t know,” and why accepting, supporting, and accommodating an autistic child is not evidence of deficient faith.

The episode ultimately lands here:

I am more theologically certain about the Great Commission than I am about whether God intends to heal my son’s autism this side of eternity.

One is explicitly commanded. The other is not explicitly promised.

God gets the outcome. I get the assignment.

Scriptures referenced: Deuteronomy 29:29; Psalm 115:3; Daniel 3; Daniel 4:35; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 28:18–20; John 5; John 9; John 11; Acts 12; Romans 8; 2 Corinthians 12; 1 Peter 2:24.

Study it for yourself: What does Scripture explicitly say? What has God actually promised? What am I assuming? Where am I confusing what God can do with what God has promised to do?

• Next in the series: What I DO Pray For.
  
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  📚 Letters to Lindsey: Seeing Your Child's Autism Diagnosis Through a Gospel Lens
  📚 How to Advocate & Stay Christian
  📺 Minno — Get a free 7-day trial with code RAD
  🛍️ Larah’s Amazon Picks
  👕 RAD Merch
  ✍️ Read RAD on Substack

Big idea: The meltdown gives us information, but so does the road behind it. If we only study the point of collision, we may miss what our autistic kids were communicating long before they had the words to tell us.

Sometimes the meltdown is the first thing everyone notices—but it may not be where the story started.

In this episode of Raising Autistic Disciples, Larah shares one of Graham’s most memorable meltdowns from the early years after his diagnosis: a simple change in the Sunday morning plan that became far more than a quick walk back to the car. What looked like a sudden explosion was actually an autistic child in deep distress, unable to communicate what his body and nervous system were experiencing.

That experience became an important lesson: don’t only study the collision. Learn the road that led there.

For parents, church leaders, grandparents, and anyone discipling an autistic child, this episode explores how curiosity, observation, and biblical discernment can help us distinguish between rebellion, overwhelm, weakness, distress, and genuine behavior that needs correction. Understanding behavior is not the same thing as excusing behavior. Faithful discipleship requires knowing the child well enough to respond with the right kind of care.

Larah also walks through 1 Thessalonians 5:14—“admonish the idle, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone”—as a framework for recognizing that different conditions require different responses. Sometimes an autistic child needs correction. Sometimes they need comfort. Sometimes they need help. And in every case, they need patient, discerning love.

You’ll hear practical questions like: What does my child look like before they become overwhelmed? What happens when plans unexpectedly change? What environments require more effort from them? What happens to communication as stress increases? When does more language stop helping and become additional input? And what patterns can I learn now that may eventually help my child recognize and communicate their own needs?

The goal isn’t to predict every meltdown or become omniscient. Only God is. The goal is to become observant—to learn the child God has entrusted to you so that you can shepherd them faithfully toward Christlikeness.

Scriptures discussed: 1 Thessalonians 5:14, James 1:19, Proverbs 18:13, Proverbs 20:5, and John 10.

Resources Mentioned:
Find the Letters to Lindsey: Seeing Your Child's Autism Diagnosis through a Gospel Lens on Amazon by clicking here: amazon.com/dp/B0FS87WY24.

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When your autistic child suddenly starts using extreme language, explosive phrases, or emotional scripts that seem to come out of nowhere, there’s a question worth asking before assuming the behavior itself is the whole problem:

Where did they learn it?

In our house, we discovered Graham wasn’t just watching characters—he was learning from them. He was borrowing their words, tone, and emotional responses and applying those scripts to real-life situations. That realization eventually led us to make significant changes to what he was consuming.

But something surprising happened: Graham didn’t stop scripting when we changed his media. His scripts changed.

In this episode, we’re talking about why Christian parents raising autistic disciples need to pay attention not only to how much screen time our kids have, but to what is filling that time. We’ll talk about scripting and echolalia, how media can provide language for emotions, what happened when we changed Graham’s content, and why his tendency to retain and repeat language has actually become an incredible avenue for discipleship.

You’ll also walk away with a practical way to evaluate your child’s media this week:

Listen → Trace → Evaluate → Replace → Observe

Listen for repeated phrases or emotional responses. Trace where they may have learned them. Evaluate the content—not simply for whether it’s “appropriate,” but for what it teaches about anger, fear, conflict, authority, and relationships. Replace unhelpful inputs with better ones rather than simply removing screens. Then observe what begins showing up in everyday life.

Because Romans 12:2’s call to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind” applies to our families too. What repeatedly occupies our attention matters.

The goal isn’t to eliminate an autistic way of learning. If our kids are going to script, we have an opportunity to give them truth worth scripting.

Scripture referenced: Romans 12:2; Proverbs 4:23; Luke 6:45; Philippians 4:8; Deuteronomy 6:6–7; Psalm 1

One question to take with you:
If my child is going to carry scripts into the world, what scripts am I helping put there?

In John 10:10, Jesus says, “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” But what exactly does abundant life mean—especially for families whose lives include disability, dependence, limitation, or suffering?

In this episode, Larah looks at John 10 in its larger biblical context and challenges the assumption that abundance means health, independence, success, comfort, or a life untouched by hardship. With help from Puritan theologian William Gurnall's reflections on redemption, she explores how God’s plan in Christ is not merely to repair what sin ruined, but to bring His people into a redemption that sin can never ultimately destroy.

You’ll hear why the presence of suffering does not mean the absence of abundant life, why disability does not put someone at a theological disadvantage, and why the greatest thing we can pursue for our autistic children is not normalization or independence—but life in Christ.

In this episode:

• What John 10:10 actually means in context
• Why John 9 helps us understand Jesus as the Good Shepherd
• The difference between good gifts and gospel promises
• Why abundant life cannot be defined by ability, health, or independence
• Why suffering and abundant life can exist at the same time
• What this means for discipling autistic children
• Why our ultimate assignment is still the Great Commission

Key Scriptures: John 9–10, John 1:4, John 6:35, John 11:25, John 14:6, Romans 5, Romans 8, 1 Corinthians 15, Ephesians 1, Revelation 21

Main takeaway: The abundant life Jesus promises is not a life untouched by the effects of the fall. It is life with God, secured by Christ, that the effects of the fall cannot ultimately take away.

You can find the webinar on YouTube here.

How do we communicate the gospel in a way that serves the listener?

In this webinar episode, Larah explores a biblical theology of communication and introduces the LEARN framework, a practical approach for discipling autistic individuals and others impacted by disability. Drawing from the ministry methods of Jesus, Larah explains why communication is not primarily about the speaker, but about helping the listener understand and engage with truth.

Throughout the episode, you'll learn how to listen before speaking, enter another person's world, assume competence, respond with curiosity and patience, and nurture relationships over time. Larah also shares practical examples for parents, church leaders, and volunteers, including case studies involving a nonverbal child, a teen with social challenges, and an adult seeking belonging within the church.

Whether you're discipling your own child, serving in disability ministry, or simply seeking to communicate more effectively, this episode offers a gospel-centered framework that can transform the way you connect with others.

• Why communication is a ministry to the listener
• Examples of how Jesus adapted His teaching methods
• The LEARN framework for disability discipleship
• Why flexibility is a ministry tool, not a compromise
• The importance of assuming competence
• Coaching volunteers to respond with curiosity instead of correction
• Building trust through long-term relationships
• Practical case studies for children, teens, and adults
• Using visuals, routines, and sensory supports in discipleship
• Strengthening the partnership between parents and churches
• Resources available to support gospel conversations at home and church

• Communication serves the listener, not the speaker.
• Effective discipleship begins with understanding before instruction.
• LEARN: Listen First, Enter Their World, Assume Less, Respond with Curiosity & Patience, Nurture Relationships.
• Behavior should not automatically be interpreted as lack of understanding.
• Small accommodations often create significant opportunities for gospel engagement.
• Trust is often the bridge that allows truth to be received.
• Parents and churches accomplish more when they work together.
• You don't have to do everything at once. Start small somewhere.

"You can't disciple someone you refuse to understand."

"Flexibility is a ministry tool, not a compromise."

"Assume competence until proven otherwise."

"Seek understanding before solutions. Respond with curiosity and patience."

"The truth travels best through trust."

"Start small somewhere."

In this episode of Raising Autistic Disciples, Larah sits down with her friend Kari Baker for a conversation that didn’t go as planned in the best way.

What started as a simple podcast recording turned into an honest, heartfelt conversation about friendship, waiting on God, the struggle of wanting answers now, and the temptation to reach for control when life feels uncertain. Together, Larah and Kari talk about autism parenting, faith, social media, idols, patient endurance, and the gift of having people in your life who can help hold your arms up when the road feels heavy.

Kari also shares about her ministry, KIND Families, her journey as an autism mom, and the heart behind her book Finding KIND. More than anything, this episode is a reminder that when the path feels lonely and hard, God often shows His kindness by sending faithful friends to walk with us.

If you are raising an autistic child and feel tired, overwhelmed, or alone, this conversation will remind you to look to the Lord, receive the gift of friendship, and keep trusting that He is sustaining you on the journey.

• Why waiting on God feels so hard
• The temptation to grab control when life feels uncertain
• Friendship as one of God’s kind gifts in hard seasons
• Honest conversation about faith, parenting, and endurance
• Encouragement for autism moms who feel alone

You can find Kari on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kariabaker/ or at kindfamilies.com.

Kari's book "Finding Kind" was influential in Larah's life, grab your copy here. 

In this episode of Raising Autistic Disciples, Larah sits down with her friend Angie for an honest, VERY vulnerable, practical, and gospel-centered conversation about PDA, or Pathological Demand Avoidance.

Larah comes into this conversation the same way many parents do, with questions. What is PDA really? How does it show up in everyday life? How do you parent a child who experiences demands, correction, and ordinary expectations in a very different way? And how do you hold on to a gospel lens while learning new ways to understand your child?

Angie helps walk through the core traits often connected to a PDA profile, while also giving parents language, examples, and encouragement for the moments that can feel confusing, exhausting, or misunderstood. Together, they talk about nervous system survival, regulation, masking, parenting misconceptions, and why understanding how our kids are wired can help us better disciple them.

This episode is especially for the parent who has felt overwhelmed, behind, or unsure where to even begin. You are not failing by learning as you go. And learning your child more deeply is not moving away from discipleship. It is part of faithful stewardship.

• What PDA is and why many parents are still learning about it
• How PDA can affect everyday parenting moments
• Why demands, chores, and correction can feel so intense for some kids
• The difference between behavior that looks defiant and a nervous system in survival mode
• How to think about PDA through a gospel-centered lens

Links Mentioned:
How to know if your child is PDA @ At Peace Parents:
https://www.atpeaceparents.com/clarity

Extreme Demand Avoidance Questionaire:
https://share.google/d7zSPbSOdN8vfBpze

New ESA-8 questionnaire:
https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/resources/extreme-demand-avoidance-8-item-measure-eda-8/

PDA North America:
https://pdanorthamerica.org/

In this episode of Raising Autistic Disciples, Larah sits down with her friend Tiffany Long for a real and encouraging conversation about parenting, autism, and learning to slow down when life feels overwhelming.

Tiffany shares her family’s journey after her sons autism diagnosis and the lessons God has been teaching her in this season of parenting. Together they talk about the importance of creating margin, resisting the pressure to “figure everything out” immediately, and learning to trust that God is still working even when we can’t see the full picture.

They also discuss the early days after diagnosis, the fear and uncertainty parents often feel, and why slowing down can actually help us better understand and support our children.

If you’re an autism parent who feels like you’re constantly trying to keep up, this conversation will encourage you to breathe, take the next step faithfully, and trust that God is at work in both you and your child.