08795
October 28, 2008

Science + love = healing

PC(USA) works with Russian Orthodox Church to address autism

by Ellen Smith
PC(USA) mission worker in Russia

MOSCOW — A thank you note that we received for the autism conference that we put on here Oct. 16-17:

“Thank you for passing on the information about the conference on autism. I visited the Preodolenie-L center yesterday … and saw the older class of special needs children …, some of whom are autistic. We briefly met one of the conference attendees, who was very enthusiastic about the conference. They and the director of Preodolenie-L felt the conference was extremely valuable, and the two attendees are looking forward to holding a training session soon at the center to pass on the information they received. Thanks again for your help.”

Dr. Jane Charles, a developmental pediatrician and associate professor at the Medical College of South Carolina in Charleston, SC, and Dr. Lucia Horowitz, a psychologist from Greenwood Genetic Center in Greenwood, SC (both specialists on autism) arrived in Moscow on Oct. 13, beginning a remarkable 12-day visit.

They are now back in the U.S., but the three of us continue to process all of our experiences. In addition to the two-day conference, we made three site visits.

The conference was hosted by the St. Dmitry sisterhood, a lay sisterhood of the Russian Orthodox Church involved in many spheres of diaconal ministry across Moscow.  With the help of a Thank Offering from Presbyterian Women, we were able to invite some 40 participants from 12 different cities in seven different regions.

We had Orthodox nuns and members of lay sisterhoods involved in the care and education of special needs children and their families, people working at state-run and church-run orphanages, at least one pediatrician, teachers and social workers involved with special needs children, and parents of autistic children.

As we were making our final plans, we continued to receive requests to participate in the seminar. The response was nearly overwhelming. Somehow, it worked out just right. We had a full but not overflowing house.

Dr. Charles gave an in-depth presentation on the A to Zs of autism, giving attendees a clearer understanding of the disorder and its many faces. She also shared medical treatment of autism, including medications used to treat different aspects of the condition. 

Dr. Horowitz focused on intervention strategies, including behavior management, to help children reach their potential. She shared concrete models for developing and implementing curriculum. The seminar took two very full days, including time for dialogue over meals and within the seminar setting.

Immediately after the seminar ended the evening of Oct. 17, Dr. Charles, Dr. Horowitz and I traveled to Maloyaroslavets, following three Orthodox nuns back to the convent of St. Nikolai Chernoostrovskiy, in the Kaluga region.

This convent houses an orphanage for girls from very troubled situations. Many of the girls have been brought by their extended families after the death or imprisonment of their parents. Many of these children have witnessed violence and neglect.

The convent of St. Nikolai Chernoostrovskiy is a place of healing. I have not seen a better orphanage anywhere in Russia. Housed within the orphanage is a very high-level school. The children participate in the life of the convent, helping the sisters with tasks within the convent and joining in its prayer life.

We were invited down to look at specific children whom the nuns were concerned about. We spent time sitting on the floor playing with these children and talking about strategies for working with them. We had the privilege of meeting with the abbess, Mother Nikolaya. She welcomed us warmly and thanked us for our visit.

Mother Nikolaya made a comment that astonished us with its humility. She told us that they didn’t have great scientific knowledge, just love for the children. It is that love that will heal these children.

Our second site visit was to a city orphanage for handicapped children in the southernmost region of Moscow, Yuzhnoe Butovo. It was a new and well equipped orphanage, a model that could stand beside any similar facility in the United States or Europe.

Members of the St. Dmitry sisterhood work at this orphanage with severe and profoundly handicapped children. After a tour of the larger facility, we had tea with the sisters from St. Dmitry and discussed what they were trying to accomplish with these children.

It was a joy to hear from people that did not pity handicapped children, but sought to help them reach their potential, no matter how limited. We came away with a list of resources that we want to gather for the sisters, including lesson plans for the severely handicapped.

Our last site visit took us to St. Petersburg, where we actually found a day for sightseeing (more than we managed in Moscow). After a day visiting the Hermitage and Church of the Spilt Blood (built on the site of the assassination of a revered czar), we visited the parish of the Chesmenskoi parish in the southern part of the city.

This parish houses the offices of the Children’s Crisis Center, a remarkable organization involved in wide ranging outreach to troubled teens and young adults, as well as a special program for autistic teens and young adults. Once a week autistic youth and their parents gather with staff and volunteers within the parish for tea and special activities that help these youth to think about their world and a role within it. We had tea with the team, which included a psychologist, a doctor, a social worker and many volunteers.

The volunteers are mostly university students studying psychology and social work. We talked about a wide variety of topics related to their ministry and the challenges of autistic youth and their families.

The team was recovering from the suicide of one of the young men in the program with Asperger’s Syndrome, one form of autism. They had many questions on what they could do to prevent this from happening again. Sadly, the suicide rates for people with Asperger’s Syndrome are very high.

We came away with another list of resources to gather and have translated into Russian. The Autism Society of South Carolina has a summer camp program that we would love to invite a group from this organization to participate in.

From the beginning of planning for this conference, my hope has been that it would be the start of something larger. Dr. Charles, Dr. Horowitz and I see so many possibilities for next year. I sincerely hope that this was the first of annual seminars.

Our heartfelt thanks go out to Presbyterian Women and all who have had a part in making the Thank Offering the extraordinary gift that it is. You have helped plant seeds of understanding, of strategic response, and of friendship between colleagues across the boundaries of language and culture.

Information about and letters from Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission workers around the world can be found at the Mission Connections home page.