CE Program for Clergy and Faith Leaders

Spirituality and Autism

CE hours: 1.5

<CE programs are under development, this information will be updated>

This program focuses on supporting adults with autism in their grief and loss and explains ways in which adults with autism may experience and express grief. The program features experts who provides tools, resources, and strategies for clergy and faith leaders to use in their communities to enfranchise and support those with autism throughout their grief journey.

Target Audience: Clergy, chaplains, pastoral care professionals, youth ministry leaders, religious educators, and others from any spiritual or faith traditions.

Continuing education credit is provided by the Hospice Foundation of America.


Ken Doka, PhD, MDiv

Dr. Doka serves as Sr. Vice President of Grief Programs for Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) and is consultant for the Autism & Grief Project. He is an ordained Lutheran minister, counselor, and bereavement expert who developed and identified the concept of disenfranchised grief. A prolific author and editor on a wide range of grief topics, including the significance of ritual, Dr. Doka was a professor of gerontology at the Graduate School of The College of New Rochelle (NY) for 38 years and has been a consultant to HFA for over 25 years.

Rev. LaTonya Penny, DMin, MDiv

Rev. Penny is an All Belong Church Consultant and actively involved in many organizations pertaining to children with disabilities and the fair treatment of children. In March of 2013, Dr. Penny launched her nonprofit Mary’s Grace Incorporated, named after her maternal grandmother, Mary Stanfield, which creates programs and ministries of inclusion for persons with disabilities and their families, in churches and communities. In addition to consulting for All Belong, she is the Sr Pastor of New Mt Zion Baptist Church in Roxboro NC and Executive Director for Family Abuse Services, a domestic violence service provider.

Rabbi Ruti Regan 

Rabbi Regan is a Conservative rabbi, feminist, ritual artist, and disabled disability advocate. She is a teacher and researcher, who teaches adults, children, and educators how to approach disability in new ways.

Moderator: Frank Sesno, George Washington University

Frank is director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University, a former anchor for CNN, and a longtime moderator of HFA’s Living with Grief® programs. He is an Emmy-award winning journalist and creator of PlanetForward.org, a user-driven web and television project that highlights innovations in sustainability, and he is the author of Ask More: The Power of Questions to Open Doors, Uncover Solutions and Spark Change.

At the end of the program, viewers will be able to:

  • Understand Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) more clearly and terms commonly used regarding autism.
  • Identify losses that adults with ASD are likely to experience (family, friends, residential caregivers, or animal companions due to death, transition, or divorce) and how adults with ASD may react to loss and understand how loss may affect the family unit
  • Understand ways in which current grief theory can help in supporting people with autism and their families.
  • Understand the significant spiritual capacities, regardless of religious background, of adults with ASD and potential familial, societal and spiritual disenfranchisement regarding serious illness, death, grief and loss.
  • Recognize the importance of inclusion and involvement of adults with autism in memorial services, funerals and other death rituals and identify tools that may help, including verbal and non-verbal communication with adults with autism
  • Describe appropriate response and support strategies, modeling for congregations and the clergy community the importance of honoring the personhood of adults with autism, as well as the grief and loss experiences of adults with autism and their families.
  • Delineate six principles that clergy can utilize to assist persons with ASD to navigate funerals and memorial services.

For more information, click here to view the Program Information Sheet.

Continuing education (1.5 hours)  is available for a variety of boards through Hospice Foundation of America (HFA).

Click here to view the board approvals list.

Instructions for obtaining your CE certificate is provided at the end of the program.