One Family’s Autism Journey Toward Hope and Inclusion

Joni recently interviewed Zach Hubert, the Online Education and Theological Engagement Coordinator at Joni and Friends. “The second-longest title here!” Zach pointed out.

When it comes to autism, Zach can speak from experience. He and his two brothers, Tyler and Tate, all have autism. Joni asked Zach what he wishes people knew about autism. Zach said:

According to the CDC, one in every 44 children is on the autism spectrum disorder. Zach’s parents, Greg Hubert, the Vice President of U.S. Ministries at Joni and Friends, and Gina Hubert, have shared about their experience of learning about autism through parenting.

“I started noticing developmental issues really early,” said Gina, recalling when Zach was a baby. She started taking Zach to pediatricians, doing research, and discovering this word, “autism.” When the Huberts’ second son, Tyler was six months old, Gina received an autism diagnosis for Zach.

She recalls the psychologist saying “autism” – after that, Gina couldn’t hear another word.

Gina left the office with Zach and baby Tyler. She watched the elevator doors close and started to cry. After the initial diagnosis, Greg recalls Gina observing characteristics associated with autism in Tyler. But Greg didn’t believe it.

“God wouldn’t do that a second time. He wouldn’t give us two sons with autism.”

–Greg

When Tyler was one year old, he received an autism diagnosis. The Huberts, who had planned for a large family, paused before having a third child. Greg and Gina prayed together and agreed, “If we decide to have a third child, we need to be prepared that their child may be autistic.”

Greg and Gina eventually decided to have a third child.

And like his two older brothers, the Huberts’ third son, Tate, showed development of speech, followed by deterioration. Greg and Gina sought out doctors and received their third autism diagnosis. Greg described his prayers and thought process following Tate’s diagnosis:

“I thought, ‘Okay, Lord, you want us to have three boys with autism—with a disability.’ And that really hit us again. You’d think after two times it wouldn’t punch you in the gut. But every time we would get the letter with the official diagnosis, we’d both cry.”

As the diagnoses settled in, Greg thought about the long-term road ahead.

He wondered if his sons would play baseball and go to college. He wondered if his sons would get married, and if he and Gina would ever become grandparents.

All the expectations that naturally surround parenthood came into question.

Greg and Gina didn’t know any other parents of kids with autism, at least parents who embraced their autistic children, and felt hope for their lives.

But God strengthened Gina to embrace her role as a mother of three autistic sons. She says:

“God gave me three beautiful boys. They were different from all the other little boys I knew. But I thought, ‘It’s my job to find out who they are, to find out what they like. How can I communicate to them? How can I let them know how much I love them?

I became this student of my children. I became a detective because I had to figure things out all the time. Then God blessed me because I got to see how funny my kids were.

Zachary, when he couldn’t talk, I’d tell him to clean up his room. Then I’d walk in, and it was immaculate! And this is the autism part: the books were lined up by size, ascending in order. And his shoes were stacked by color. All the blue shoes were together, the white shoes were together, and the sandals were together. His bed was made, and his toys were all lined up. All the bears were next to each other, and the cars were next to each other. And I thought, ‘this is better than anything! This is God. Only God can do that!’”

God helped Gina and Greg celebrate each one of their sons, and marvel at the personalities, capabilities, and unique traits that God wove into each of their beings, even through the particularities of autism.

Zach told Joni that he sees God work in each of his brothers differently, and it reminds him of Psalm 139:13-14:

“You have formed my inward parts; you wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

While Greg and Gina experienced God’s grace and gave them deep joy in their sons, they didn’t always find inclusion in the church.

When they suffered isolation and exclusion, the Huberts responded proactively.

With God’s help, they discovered a calling, one step at a time, to help churches welcome families living with disability.

At one church, the Huberts hosted a camp for families with disabilities. They knew the struggles they faced trying to take a family vacation: safety issues, having to saranwrap sliding glass doors, having to put heavy tables in front of doors at night to keep the kids from getting out—obstacles that made the idea of a vacation essentially self-defeating. They needed help in the middle of the night.

When the Huberts hosted the camp, they saw to the needs they knew from firsthand experience.

Now, at Joni and Friends, Greg oversees the area offices throughout the country whose teams reach out to provide hope and gospel-centered care for families living with disability, and connect them to a place of belonging in a disability-friendly church.

And Zach works on Joni and Friends online courses, creating, editing, and proofreading content.

Greg has reflected that he can see facets of God’s design for his family, most clearly in hindsight.

And just as the Lord knitted each of his sons together in the womb, he has knitted, and continues to knit, their lives into the life of God’s family, the church.

But inclusion doesn’t come easily for most people living with disability. Too often, people with little knowledge or experience with autism can face confusion or nervousness about how to interact with people with autistic people.

Here’s the good news: Inclusion doesn’t have to be complicated!

In fact, Zach gave advice about including people with autism that proves how simple inclusion can, and should, be:

“I would encourage people to get to know individuals with autism. We’re people just as much as anybody else. It may be easy for most people to just walk up to an ordinary individual and get to know them. The same way would be with anyone on the spectrum.”