The answer
I am sure you are more of an expert in the field of Autism than I am; since you deal with these kids more closely. The way I see it is that while we try to teach those children how to interact with society to improve their communication skills; we need to tell them about the presence of God and His great love for them. The work you are doing sounds wonderful; and to get them to attend the Divine Liturgy is an excellent step in introducing God and the Coptic hymns to them. I believe that teaching them Sunday school lessons is easier and less challenging than any academic subject. I think they would enjoy listening to a short story about our Lord Jesus Christ; if it is communicated to them at their individual level. There are also different, very simple and interesting cartoon videos of the Holy Bible stories. These are usually 25 minutes long and could be used as resources. Just make sure you show them a small part of a movie at a time.We should strive to relate to these children the message that God exists, that He loves them and that they can have a special relationship with Him. I know that speech is one of their greatest problems; but maybe you can teach them just a few words of the Lord's Prayer as a way of communicating with the Lord. In our attempt to help them to socially fit in the world, we should also try to enlighten them spiritually; in order that they get to realize that they are children of God.
Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)