I heard that next week it is Autism Awareness Week so I thought I would talk to you a little bit about my brother. He has Autism and ADHD. He had a brain tumor when he was younger, and it left him with autism.
I feel like most of the worse days are in the past, if I'm honest. My brother has ran away, broken windows, unlcoked doors. And of course there was those awful months when he was in hospital with his operation.
Anyway, things are a lot better now. We have a Autism Awareness Dog and me and my sister are involved in Young Carers. But I still don't feel like everyone understands the situation and the things I have to go through. I want people to know, but I don't want to seem attetion-seeking.
Sam
Hi there,
Living with a sibling who is on the autistic spectrum can be really challenging. It might mean that your sibling needs a lot of attention and you could feel left out. Its natural for families to go through a difficult time while they organise support for your sibling and take care of health problems.
It can feel like a relief to have got past those times when things around you seem to be working in a more stable way. Caring for someone in your life can be very stressful and its natural to need a bit of extra support. Its important to take time for yourself to relax and spend time with friends.
Finding ways to raise awareness can be a good way to educate people around you. It could help them to understand what its like for someone on the autistic spectrum or someone who has caring responsibilities for another person.
As its World Autism Awareness Week, now could be a good time to think about what you could do. Perhaps you have an idea about ways to raise funds for an organisation thats important to you. Or you could think about talking about autism and young carers at a school assembly. There might be lots of ways to raise awareness or money. Getting your friends involved might be a good way to have lots of ideas to choose from.
There is a young carers message board that you might like to look at, or to post on. The counsellors are always available to listen and support you, if you'd like to talk about anything thats on your mind.
Take care,
Sam
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