As a former special education teacher, I am frequently asked questions from Bible class teachers who aren’t sure of the best way to teach a child with disabilities in their classes. Very few have experience or training in specific methods, therefore teachers wonder how to best serve those who learn differently than their typical students.

Here are the most common questions that I have been asked:

Do we need to provide a special class or can this child attend our regular classes?

The majority of kids with disabilities can and should attend regular classes. However, there are a few exceptions. When I was teaching, I had some of the most severe cases of children with autism and serious behavioral issues who would not be able to attend regular classes. This included:

• Children who are a danger or threat to other children’s safety by kicking, hitting, or other acts of aggression.
• Children who disrupted the learning of the other students by continually screaming or crying as their mode of communication.

In extreme cases, a separate class or even just a separate place to go (like a quiet room or sensory room where they can calm down) needs to be available. However, those are extreme cases and nearly always a child with disabilities can and should be with their peers.

Should this child attend class with others who are their chronological age or should they attend with children who are their same mental/developmental age?

As with everything we do, we should look at situations individually. However, it is my belief that MOST of the time the person with disabilities should be with same age peers.

Consider a 16-year-old boy with a mental age of 6, the hormones of a 16-year-old, little impulse control, and low cognitive ability to control those impulses? Do you put him in the first-grade class next to the 6-year-old girls? The boy may not mean any harm, but what if he did do something or touch someone inappropriately? A 16 year old girl in the high school class would be much more able to deal with and correct him than the younger child.

Also, can you think of a better way to teach students what the love & compassion of Jesus looks like than to have a peer with a disability in their class? We can talk about, “Love you neighbor” all day, but it becomes real when you have a different kind of neighbor sitting beside you!

As you seek to include those with disabilities in your Bible class, here are some practical suggestions:

• Look at your physical facilities. Is your classroom wheelchair accessible? Is it close enough to the adult class in case a parent must be called? Do you need special seating or other accommodations that will create a comfortable learning environment for the child? Are you providing a calm, orderly classroom where children with neurological difficulties can avoid sensory overload?
• Find a good teaching assistant. Find one who will be available to support every student so that you aren’t singling out just one. The assistant should be flexible and relaxed with children who are different. They should encourage independence in the child with disabilities and always assume that he or she “can do,” before they assume they can’t! 
• Find a mature, sensitive peer who can sit beside the child with disabilities to help them in class. Often a child with a disability will relate to a peer more than another adult. Be sure the peer displays kindness, compassion, maturity, and respect for the child they are helping. This peer can help in ways such as navigating them through the church building, turning pages in a book, or assisting when doing an activity.
• Talk with the parents of the child to find out all you can about the disability. Parents know their own child and their needs better than anyone else. They want their child to be successful in class. They will be happy to give you ideas or suggestions for ways to help their child succeed. 
• Use a variety of teaching methods to engage all learning styles. This is true for all students. The child with a disability will likely enjoy listening to the Bible story, seeing the visuals, and doing hands on activities along with the other students. 
• Offer choices and flexibility with activities. Not every student has to do the same activity. When reinforcing the lesson through a game, worksheet, or other activity, simplify instructions or change the rules if necessary. Give the student with a disability an age appropriate activity, matching activity, coloring sheet, Legos, or whatever is enjoyable and appropriate. Remember: Being fair isn’t giving everyone the same thing…it’s giving everyone what they need!

A final thought… I think we need a change of focus. For the child with a moderate or severe disability, our focus doesn’t need to be about methods we use to teach them the Bible. It isn’t about them learning God’s word on their level. After all, these individuals are sinless and heaven bound without our teaching. The focus should be for the learning opportunities that you are providing the typical peers. By including the child with disabilities in your Bible class, you provide an opportunity for others in your class to become “doers of the word and not hearers only” as James 1:22 tells us. The stories of Jesus’ love and inclusion of those with disabilities will become real as they have the opportunities to do the same.

What better way can our typical students to learn lessons in love, compassion, kindness, courage, perseverance, gratitude, and patience than they can learn from our students with disabilities if we include them in our Bible classes! In Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me.” None were disqualified because of a physical condition, mental illness, behavioral issue, or intellectual disability. Jesus invited them all and as His people, we should do nothing less.

Matthew 25:40-“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”