Neurodiversity and the Role of Language in Church
August 24th: Online
August 25th: Leeds
Christianity relies heavily on language. Churches worship with spoken and sung words, and pastors preach sermons. Christians gather for Bible studies. At the heart of the Christian faith is Jesus Christ, also identified as the Word. Reading, speaking, and listening to words are so common in the Christian life that we seldom pause and reflect on language. However, it cannot be taken for granted that everyone uses and understands language in the same way.
At this two-day conference, we want to reflect on language through the lens of neurodiversity. The first day (24/08/2026) is online and includes two plenary presentations: (1) Dr Joanna Leidenhag and Dr Hannah Nash (University of Leeds) will present their recent research on the understanding of metaphors in the Bible by dyslexic and autistic Christians. (2) Dr Léon van Ommen (University of Aberdeen) and Dr Katy Unwin (La Trobe University, Melbourne) will present their work exploring the spirituality of autistic believers who do not rely on spoken language. Both these studies were part of the God, Language and Diversity (GLaD) research project. We also welcome short papers on the topic of neurodiversity, faith, and language (see Call for Papers below).
The second day (25/08/2026) takes place in person in Leeds and is aimed at those who want to learn more about neurodiversity and language in relation to faith, for example, clergy, RE teachers, and care providers. This day can be used for Continuous Professional Development purposes, but anyone who is interested in the topic is welcome. And of course, anyone is welcome to join both days! For the in-person day, we require £5 towards catering and hospitality. A payment link will appear on the acknowledgement page when you submit the registration form.
Registration (for those who do not want to present a short paper) will remain open until 17th August 2026.
PS! You may also be interested in this academic conference, which is meeting the previous week in Leeds: “Lost in Translation? Celebrating Language Diversity in Science and Religion”
Call for Papers
Do you have a piece of research suitable to share at this conference? In bringing together neurodiversity, language and religion, it may be that your own research touches on two of these, and that this conference provides you with an opportunity to consider the third aspect for the first time. We’d love to receive your application!
Possible topics might include, but are not limited to:
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The influence of neurodiversity in how the Bible or sermons are understood and responded to
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Neurodivergent composition or interpretations of hymns, songs, or liturgy or Christian poetry
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How the language and concept of ‘neurodiversity’ fits within Christian theology or functions within church groups
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How inclusive churches are for those who cannot rely on spoken or written words for communication (e.g., aphasiacs, dyslexics, Tourette’s, etc.)
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The way that churches use words in unusual ways and the positive or negative impact this has on neurodiverse groups
We welcome short papers to be presented online on the first day of the conference. These short papers are 20-minute presentations with 10 mins for Q&A. Presenters can be from any background or discipline. We welcome works-in-progress or research that is in fairly early-stages, as well as more completed pieces of work.
Instructions for submission:
The deadline for short paper proposals is midnight on the 30 April 2026. You can submit a short paper proposal as part of your registration for this conference. When asked if you wish to submit a short paper proposal answer ‘yes’ and a free-text space will appear where you can type an abstract of a maximum of 150-words. We may not have space for everyone to present, and so we will select the strongest proposals and inform applicants by the 31 May.