Autism - My Experiences of Having an Autistic Brother

Autism (or autism spectrum disorder/ASD) is a neurological disorder which significantly affects verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as social interaction. Some characteristics of autistic people can include; having an unusual interest in certain objects, different reactions to the different senses and struggling with a change in routine. Autism can affect the lives of so many people, both the autistic individuals or the family and friends of those around them. 

I have a younger brother, four and a half years younger, as a matter of fact. He has autism, and currently is non verbal => He can't talk in the same ways that we can. He can make noise - trust me, he's very loud. But he doesn't say words often - the occasional 'happy birthday to you' or 'naughty' but never concrete sentences. That doesn't mean he cant communicate, nor not tell us what he wants. Often times he will drag us the the kitchen to show us what food he wants, or cry when he's upset. 

It's definitely not all sunshine and rainbows - everything we do is affected by 'Will my brother like it?' - more so I believe than with any neurotypical child. Finding places which don't overstimulate him, occasionally leading to him having a meltdown, can be difficult, especially with a large family and family gatherings which can often have loud music and many people talking loudly at once. He won't put on any noise cancelling headphones either - that's too quiet for him, I think. 

Insomia is another factor of living with autism - of course not all autistic people have it, but many autistic people will find going to sleep harder and are more likely to wake up in the middle of the night - and this cdertainly applies to my brother. He finds my mum trying to get him asleep and him not coming into mine and my dads room while we are trying to sleep a game - having your brother wake you up at 1 AM - whether he's neurotypical or not - is not fun. Not to mention he will stay up to 4 AM, then wake up at 8 AM, meaning at best my mum has had four hours of sleep. This has been especially hard during lockdown, when mum is unable to sleep during the day, and doesn't want to cook two meals for four people a day, while I've been working, and so has my dad. 

But to see him smile can light up my day. His laughter is contagious, his smile can make any room a million times better. There's nothing about him I would change, not for the world. I love him so much.