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Mormon Stories 868: JaLynn Prince - Autism, Adult Autism, and Mormonism Pt. 2

1,483 views · Published 28 February 2018 · 1:31:05 · Indexed 28 October 2026

Channel: Mormon Stories Podcast · 2018 · Education

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In these important episodes of Mormon Stories, we interview JaLynn Prince – President and Founder of the Madison House Autism Foundation and wife of our frequent past guest on Mormon Stories episodes as a Mormon scientist and historian – Dr. Greg Prince.

We focus on JaLynn’s background in the LDS Church and how she learned her son Madison was a child with autism.  We also have a discussion on some of the general characteristics of autism and other related disabilities, and how the LDS Church serves these individuals.  We then have a frank discussion on possible areas of improvement in the LDS community to offer more support, opportunities, and hope for adults with autism.  In our final segment of the interview, JaLynn fields questions from our live listening audience.

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00:00 Introduction
00:30 Madison in the Mormon context: early years
05:15 Decision about baptism
06:07 Assessing cognitive and emotional functioning
13:45 Art as a means of expressing himself
14:36 Trying sign language, speech classes, other ways of communicating
18:15 Autism in a church setting
21:55 Responses other LDS members when Madison was in church
26:12 Deciding on going to church, effect on callings
29:02 "Second class citizin" in LDS?
31:04 Members being reassuring, consoling or less helpful
32:32 Being made 'whole' can be offensive for people on the spectrum
38:15 Reasons for asking the hard stuff
38:44 Talking the Plan of Salvation. Nuance instead of black and white.
40:39 Theology around Madison
46:13 Autism giving JaLynn challenges to her faith
51:11 Looking at the potentials of people with disability
53:33 What else could church, members etc. do? Being inclusive
1:00:42 Main initiatives of the Madison house
1:07:57 Madison's adult life
1:09:55 Safety
1:13:55 Typical adult day, participation
1:16:08 What's going to happen when JaLynn and Greg are no longer around?
1:26:16 JaLynn's reflections

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