Helping a Child with Autism Grow in Devotion

David and Mercedes Rizzo reminisce about helping their daughter, who has autism, to attend Mass and receive the sacraments reverently.

Last month, we celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi. The readings were all about the body and blood of Christ, which we receive in the sacrament of holy Eucharist. Our daughter Danielle sat with us in the pew, and with the rest of us went up to receive the Precious Sacrament.

Danielle is now 27 years old, and we were struck by how much she has progressed in the years since her first holy Communion. At that time, we were praying that she would reverently receive and that this would not be her first and last holy Communion. We were relieved when all went well. Danielle was completely nonverbal at the time, and she remains so today. She has autism.

Looking Back Through the Years

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing. However, the winds gradually shifted and before too long good days outnumbered bad ones. There are still days when sitting through Mass is difficult for Danielle. It’s hard to know why this happens or when, but we have learned to just go with it.

When we look back, continuing to bring Danielle to Mass each week so she could participate and grow in her abilities has been helpful. A strategy that has helped us is to take her to the back of the church on rare occasions when needed for a short break. We do this in consideration of the parishioners around us, so as to not disturb their prayerfulness. The break never lasts long, and this does not happen very often. Danielle always comes back calm and focused. Fortunately, she sits through Mass without problems most of the time, and is attentive and reverent.

Danielle shows us that she has grown in her awareness of going to Mass. She listens to our conversations and if she hears us say something remotely related to church, she will respond by bringing us a picture icon for “Sunday” or “church.” At times she has brought the picture icon of the priest giving out Communion. We smile when she does this, because when she was about 5 years old, we wondered to ourselves if she would be able to make her sacraments of holy Communion, Reconciliation, and Confirmation.

When others didn’t hold back their opinion that Danielle did not understand and never would understand that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ, it was only natural to wonder if they might be right. Yet we knew that believing is not the same as understanding, and the Sacrament is a mystery that can never be fully understood by any of us. When Danielle relates to our conversations about church by giving us these pictures, it is obvious that she gets it.

Two New Accomplishments

Danielle has learned to follow along by using her picture missal. For years, she needed help from us with this. At first, we had to flip the pages for her at the appropriate parts of the Mass and prompt her to touch the pictures. Later, we merely needed to gesture with our finger for her to turn the page.

Recently, something very exciting has happened. Now, she is turning the pages by herself at the correct times without prompts from us. She is well aware of what is going on and makes sure her picture missal is open to where it should be. This is quite an accomplishment!

Danielle is also learning to place her hands in the correct position when receiving Communion. For years, one of us had to hold her hands a certain way to facilitate proper receipt of the host. Now, she is doing well with just physical modeling of the hand position by us. We are very proud of her!

Over the years, we have seen that Danielle and other people with special needs have been able to successfully receive the sacraments and grow in reverence and devotion to God at Mass. Coming to Mass consistently with your disabled child and supporting them when needed with appropriate prompts and resources can lead to continued learning. Practicing the faith at home by prayers, such as saying Grace before meals, can aid in this too. Most of all, follow what you know in your heart.

Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2026 David and Mercedes Rizzo
Images: copyright 2026 David and Mercedes Rizzo, all rights reserved.