Patron Saint for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder?
Telling the digital world that I am on the autism spectrum tends to draw certain kinds of birds to this blog’s nest. I have had feedback from a number of people who are also autistic – sharing comments, questions, and experiences with me. One of them, Aimee O’Connell, told me that she is involved with The Mission of St. Thorlak, a ministry for and with people on the autism spectrum. I had never heard of St. Thorlak before, but he is officially the patron saint of Iceland. Aimee O’Connell is among those who believe that St. Thorlak may have been on the autism spectrum himself. They are proposing him as a patron saint for autistic people.
Aimee just published a book on the life of St. Thorlak, based on her research. She offered to send me a complimentary copy if I would be so kind as to review the book. I wrote up a review on the book’s Amazon page . I now present here the review that I posted there, with a few minor revisions. I share it here because this book is valuable not only for people on “the spectrum”, but for anyone who knows or lives with or works with such folks.
Here it is:
We learn a great deal by imitation. We observe what people around us do: relatives, friends, and others – and then incorporate much of how they speak, act and dress into our own lives. We often look to specific individuals as role models for us. Some are people we know and see on a daily basis. Others are famous people of the present or past. We may not know them personally, but something about their achievements or personalities inspires us. Even in a more cynical age like our own, many of us still seek role models and heroes.
People on the autism spectrum are no different in that respect. We may admire many of the same people others admire for their achievements and their virtue. Still, we need people like us – people who know what it is to be on the ‘spectrum’ – and yet who have a significant positive impact on the society around them.
The challenge here is that the diagnosis of ASD, or Asperger’s, or autism in general, is still relatively recent in our history. Most of the people who can be officially identified as ‘on the spectrum’ are alive now, or were alive not too long ago.
This challenge in our society in general is equally true in the Catholic Church. The Church has designated certain outstanding people as patron saints – people who showed unusual holiness as well as a skill or interest in a certain area. This offers Catholics people who can be models in a double sense: both in living the Christian life in general, and in being good at some trade or profession, or notable for some other reason. The Catholic Church presently has no patron saint for people with autism. Who can people ‘on the spectrum’ look to as a model?
Enter Aimee O’Connell, and her book on Thorlak of Iceland.
Aimee O’Connell is involved with The Mission of St. Thorlak, which seeks to work with people on the autism spectrum and which proposes St. Thorlak as a patron saint for autistic people. St. Thorlak is not well-known outside of Iceland. He was officially canonized and named patron saint of Iceland by Pope John Paul II in 1984. O’Connell’s book gives us the story of St. Thorlak.
I’ll point out two noteworthy things in this book (there are others). First of all, O’Connell never uses the word “autism” in her text at all, nor does she try to show, overtly, that St. Thorlak was autistic. She simply tells the story of someone who is a man, human like anyone else, having many traits common to us all, but who also has some unusual traits and gifts. This is a wise move. People who aren’t familiar with autism can appreciate the story of a holy, sincere and gifted man and identify with him. People who are on the spectrum will immediately see themselves in some of Thorlak’s traits, and can identify with him on that level as well. Autistic folks can see that they, too, can be chosen by God; that they, too, have gifts that can benefit the Church and the world. I personally saw a number of parallels between St. Thorlak’s life and my own.
Secondly, O’Connell does not try to write a scholarly work in the formal sense. It is a story, with no quotes or footnotes, woven together from the sources she lists in her bibliography. Her writing style is easy to read, yet one can learn a great deal from this book. Thorlak and the Iceland of the twelfth century come alive. The reader can easily imagine what it may have been like to live there at that time. The reader also grows to appreciate Thorlak himself – brilliant, gentle, reflective, innovative, patient, conscientious – and wants to cheer him on as the story unfolds.
O’Connell has done a great service in writing this book. We get to see St. Thorlak as a fully rounded human being who may well have been autistic. No stereotypes here. Because of this, St. Thorlak can be appreciated and admired not only by people with autism, but by anyone who reads his story. Thorlak may become a great inspiration to autistic people. But, even more importantly, “normal” people who read this book may view autistic people differently – as fully human beings and not merely autistic stereotypes – and be more willing to work with them to create a society where everyone can identify their gifts and share them for the good of all, as Thorlak did in his time.
Highly recommended!