We felt privileged to hear the stories from a group of people about what it’s like to have a sibling with autism – in a wonderful video posted on The Huffington Post.
Children, teens and adults were asked questions about their experiences – and they answered with raw honesty and compassion, quashing misconceptions about autism as they went.
When asked what people assume about having an autistic sibling, they answered:
“I think people assume that my brother doesn’t understand things.”
“That he’s broken and he needs to be fixed.”
“People tend to assume that my brother has some type of gift, like a savant you know? The Rain Man thing.”
“He’s just a brat, or he misbehaves on purpose because he’s a bad kid.”
“There are people who are afraid that’s going to do something or like jump out or be volatile.”
And when asked about the challenges of having a sibling with autism, we were moved by their honesty:
“Not having a typical sibling relationship.”
“The struggle of going through his adulthood is something that’s not only going to impact myself but my future wife and my kids.”
“Not getting enough attention from your parents.”
I carry a lot of guilt just trying to live my own life.
“The frustration is just something you have to swallow.”
But ultimately, they all agree that they have learned a lot from their autistic sibling:
“My brother has taught me to accept people for who they are.”
“To have a deeper purpose in life.”
“That differences are ok.”
“A person’s a person no matter what.”
