At a very early age, my son Caleb became the voice for a special-needs boy in his kindergarten class who had Down syndrome. He befriended him on the playground, discouraged classmates from making fun of Justin, and encouraged them to be kind instead. Caleb made sure to sit next to Justin during art activities so he could help him with tasks that were challenging—like cutting with scissors. He was always there for Justin during school hours: looking after him, protecting him, and simply being a good friend. There was something special inside Caleb that helped him see beyond Justin’s differences.
Fast forward thirty-eight years, and now Caleb has a special-needs son of his own. His little boy, Dean, has autism and will be starting public school this fall. Our precious Little Dean is nonverbal but very active. His parents have many concerns about what this new environment will look like for him. Isn’t it in our nature to face the unknown with the worst possible thoughts?
When I asked Caleb what he feared most about sending Dean to school, he responded,
“That he’s going to get picked on, teased, beat up, and won’t be able to communicate any of it. I hate that—what a terrible thing for him.”
But God.
I’ve been praying that Dean will have a “Caleb” in his classroom. With the increasing prevalence of autism, I can easily imagine a classmate who has an autistic sibling at home. Maybe that child won’t be fazed by Dean’s unique behaviors like stimming or being nonverbal. Maybe they’ll feel led—just as Caleb did with Justin—to befriend Dean.
I’d like to extend an invitation for you to pray with us for Little Dean. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus says:
“When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of Me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.” (The Message Bible)
Through this scripture—and many others—we know that God hears our prayers. He doesn’t just sit around. He goes into action. I can’t wait to see what He has planned for Little Dean’s new experience.
Until next time—keep on readin’ and I’ll keep on writin’.
FYI: Dean was named after his great-grandfather, Dean. Hence, I call him Little Dean.
According to the CDC, the estimated prevalence of autism among children in the United States in 2022 was 1 in 31. This is up from 1 in 150 in the year 2000. In 1960, the estimate was 1 in 2,500.