Sacraments are challenging for those with special needs

Peter before the big day.

    My son’s Communion began with all the children standing on the altar singing and signing a song about Communion. As most people looked at the more than 60 children, they probably noticed my very tall 8-year-old moving with exaggerated motions and a beat or two off for many parts of the song. I saw a boy that I was never sure would even stand with his peers on a day like this.

    Peter is on the autistic spectrum.  He did not even speak in sentences until he was almost 4 ½. Now he was standing there almost keeping up and grinning from ear to ear when he recognized his grandparents in the congregation.   

    So when people saw Peter be half a beat behind his friends, I saw Peter coordinating many moves in a row while singing. When people saw Peter swaying quite a bit in the pew, I saw my son managing to maintain pretty good focus for over an hour. When people saw Peter doing the Sign of Peace with his left hand rather than his right, I saw a little boy reaching out to others rather than avoiding their touch. This First Communion Day was a collection of mini miracles that have been in the making for years.

    It culminated with Peter going up the aisle alone to receive his First Communion. He remembered to bow his head. He forgot not to reach for the Eucharist. But all I saw through my misty eyes was Peter doing what he should do in May when he is 8 years old--he received his First Communion with his classmates.  For this curly haired boy in the blue pinstriped suit First Communion was more than a Rite of Passage. It was proof of how well he is navigating his world despite the challenges he faces each day. It was proof that Peter is making progress at Peter’s pace, which is just fine with me.