My church welcomed me (as a now "high functioning autistic"). Our Lady of Guadalupe and those generous, caring, and above all patient Catechism teachers helped me bring more focus, direction, and interest in something that is positive and fruitful for myself and others.

Having worked with a few of my autistic peers who face a greater path to finding mutuality with others; I can say that the challenges can be large. I doubt that any are insurmountable with care, creativity, patience, and perseverance.

As has been seen... teachers now are faced with the wrong challenges. They battle politics, ethics, personal desires and goals, as well as financial challenges. Most can be corrected by known simple changes.

The challenges teachers should be addressing are with their skill set in supporting moral and ethical education of information and skills which will enhance the students future. This could include ADHD and autistic students if they didn't have the wrong challenges occupying them.

However, because of the above teachers challenge priority inversion; they were allowed a "magic pill" (including Ritalin and 'special education') route to reduce their individual load for the benefit of all but a student needing different attention.

This magic pill was further fed into the child who did have fewer challenges when doped. Several graduating classes later and these children are the teachers... and the magic pill is now considered standard procedure.

I agree strongly that children of all sorts need to be welcomed into our churches. Parents need to make an effort to minimize disruption, and need to realize that, if this takes away from their usual enjoyment of the liturgy, that this is part of life as a mom or dad, and God will bless them for their efforts. I have always detested separating children for the readings and sermon. Many evangelical “churches” do not welcome children intotheir main service at all- they have places for them to go play while the adults go listen to rock music about Jesus. The only thing I can say about the issue with evensong at Cambridge is that it is seen as much more of a musical performance, or a cultural re-enactment of something that used to have real religious meaning. That pretty much describes everything the Anglicans do these days. This man, and his son, may have been the only ones in the chapel who were there to worship God.