My brother has autism
As the younger brother in the family, I’ve spent my whole life putting up with my big brothers’ aggression and mood swings.
I am a 13-year-old boy and I live with my Mum, my Step Dad and my autistic brother.
When I was younger I would often sleep in my Mum’s room because I have been so scared to sleep in the room next to my brother due to his angry and aggressive nature.
Most of the time I go over to my friends’ houses because I have been worried about inviting friends over. I thought my friends may not understand my brother’s strange and aggressive behaviour.
I never liked going to the shops with my whole family because I was embarrassed about what people think about our family.
I can’t joke around with my brother because he doesn’t understand.
Most days my brother gets really mad at my Mum and he thinks that he knows more than her about everything. I used to get really scared because he would threaten her and me.
Now my Step Dad lives with us, my brothers’ behaviour has improved a bit. However, he can still be aggressive. My Step Dad is good at helping him to calm down. It really helps my Mum too as we’ve been through a lot together and it’s not been easy.
I’ve learned that everyone is different, and have their own qualities and personalities. I’ve built a lot of resilience because I’ve what I’ve experienced living with a brother with autism. We need to be accepting and understanding of all people in our lives.
SASI Guest Sibling Blogger
Image courtesy of pixabay.com
