Hi Sam. I'm 14 years old, I am the eldest of four children. Although it's cool but stressful too. My 10 year old brother has been diagnosed with Autism, & his older by 2 hours, identical twin brother is not autistic and people think it's him with the autism. My 6 year old and only sister is worried what people might think of our brother. I hope though my brothers autism doesn't put a stress on my parent's marriage with them marking their 15th (crystal) wedding anniversary in October.
Sam
Hi there,
When brothers or sisters are diagnosed with being on the autistic spectrum, it can take time to get used to it. It might feel hard at home as everyone adjusts.
Its natural to want your parents to have a special anniversary as its nice to see them happy and celebrating. It could help you to think about the way things look from your parents point of view though. They may not see it as being any additional stress for them.
Autism is part of what makes someone who they are. Your brother and his personality hasnt changed because hes been diagnosed with autism. It only helps to understand what extra help and support he may need. The way your family has grown together hasnt changed because of this diagnosis.
It sounds like you might be stressed by the way things are. And its important to get help for yourself as well as everyone in the family. You should all feel comfortable with autism and what it means. If your brother needs extra support you could talk to your mum or dad or another trusted adult so that he gets the support he deserves.
If you wanted to talk some more about this then our counsellors are there to listen and support you or any of your siblings who want to talk. Theres also some advice on the Autism website about what sort of changes your family might need to make when a sibling is on the autistic spectrum.
Thanks for the letter, take care. Sam
Need help straight away?
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
Ask me a question
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
