Disability Ministry

There is evidently a very rapid growth in the number and percentage of children and youth with specified Psychiatric Disorders. A recent study in Volume 49, Issue 7, Pages 686-698 (July 2010)

Prevalence of DSM-IV Disorder in a Representative, Healthy Birth Cohort at School Entry: Sociodemographic Risks and Social Adaptation


Approximately one in five (21.6 %) children met criteria for psychiatric disorder(s) with impairment. Sociodemographic and psychosocial correlates included persistent poverty beginning in early childhood, limited parental education, low family expressiveness, stressful life events, and violence exposure. Finally, diagnostic status was significantly associated with poorer social competence and family burden.

Conclusions

Comments by a Christian Child Psychiatrist, Dr. Grcevich said:

That approximately one in five children evidenced a psychiatric disorder with impairment during the transition to formal schooling highlights the importance of integrating psychiatric epidemiological and developmental approaches to inform conversations about school readiness and intervention planning
How will the church serve a generation of families with kids who have issues with emotions or behavior that interfere with their ability to function on a day to day basis?

Kids with “hidden disabilities” like these are gradually becoming the new normal. Check out this study in the current issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. To summarize:

22 % of U.S. children entering first grade met criteria for at least one mental disorder. Kids with autism spectrum disorders or developmental disabilities were excluded from this sample.

The most common condition experienced was Simple Phobia (9.0%). Other common conditions included ADHD (8.7%), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (8.4%), Separation Anxiety Disorder (2.1%) and Tic Disorders (1.7%).

An important point the authors of the study made was to note that the 22% figure applies only to kids who demonstrated problems that interfered significantly with their ability to function normally on a day to day basis. In lay terms, that means the child is able to learn at a level consistent with their intelligence in school, make and keep friends in an age-appropriate manner, function in an age-appropriate way as a member of their family and participate in extracurricular activities common for that community…like church.

The numbers quoted in this study from Yale are pretty consistent with data reported elsewhere. If you were to look at the kids involved with children’s programming at your church, do you think anywhere near 22% of the children being served experience one or more of these conditions? If not, let me welcome you to the new mission field down the street and around the block from your church.

It is important for many reasons Christians to be involved with people with chronic illnesses and disabilities. God calls us to minister to hurting people, it is a joy to know these people and we can offer them relief, support and healing prayer.

Most people with chronic illnesses are isolated from society. They cannot get around easily and they are tired. The need us to go to them rather than expect them to come to us. This is a challenge for many churches since the traditional approach is to get people to ATTEND church.

Think of a member of your church that would benefit from a regular visit from another member. The Stephen Ministry trains Peers to reach out in love to develop fellowship, support and prayer with home bound members. Can you or others in your church provide this kind of service to younger families as well?