A child diagnosed with autism is not a big deal today because autism off late has been on a rise. That is a shocking piece of news but it stands true. A lot has already been spoken about autism, spreading awareness, fighting for the cause, fundraising and trying to improve the medical facilities that are available to cure the impact of autism. In the midst of focusing so much attention on autistic kids what people fail to realize is that siblings of these autistic children go unnoticed. It is important for parents to realize that in spite of autism demanding a lot of attention they should not fail to give attention to their other child who was born normal. So for now it is important for parents to do their bit in trying to create a comfortable space for both their children so that siblings blend well in spite of their differences.
Siblings and their role in autism
In the initial years kids find it difficult to understand why their siblings are so “different” from them. It also goes beyond their comprehension to realize why parents are showering all their attention to the other sibling and making him feel neglected. To stay clear from such ambiguities it is necessary for parents to bridge the gap between both their child and to create awareness about the autistic condition that his sibling is going through so that the sudden attention towards the autistic child becomes justified. So today let us take notice of the sibling’s point of view and how he should eal with his autistic brother.
Things that a child does for his autistic sibling
Siblings are the first best friend we have and we all share our doing-something-for-the-first-time with them the most. Be it sharing the first puff of cigarette or telling them about the first love, the first crush or even planning for the first date. We always share a very special bond with our siblings. But things can take an ugly turn if your sibling is suffering from autism. Then you have a big responsibility on you towards your sibling. Here are a few important factors that you must keep in mind when dealing with your autistic sibling:
- Know about autism – even though you are still a kid but before you can approach your sibling it is a must for you to know what is autism and how an autistic person should be handled. Researching on autism at such a young age is not possible so you must take the help from your parents and try and know as much as you can so that you can help your sibling cope with the situation.
- Be around your sibling – at such a tender age most often than not your sibling will be the butt of all jokes and that might add as peer pressure to you. But you must understand that you are the only friend your sibling has so make sure that you can be around them as much as possible. When others tease your brother you must be there for him and fight for him. This helps your autistic kid brother feel secure.
- Talk to them – your sibling has to deal with the biggest problem in his life and that is autism. Hence it is important that you be close to him so that he can confide in you all his worries, anxiety and depression because he also needs somebody to vent out his feelings. Doing all this at such a tender age is difficult but the effort should be there so that eventually you succeed in doing so.
- Help your sibling in doing homework – an autistic person is a little slow when it comes to coping with education but they are too ashamed to express that but if you are his best friend then he would feel extremely confortable in disclosing to you his problems. This process will help you know the problems that your sibling faces in academics and help you to give an apt solution and accordingly chanelise his course of education.
- Communication – communication is one such area where your sibling will have tremendous problem but it is important for you to not laugh at the situation which is the most obvious thing to do at such a young age. Instead you should always focus on helping your sibling in coping with his language problem, be his guide and his anchor of support in the hurdles that he faces in life.
Having an autistic sibling is very tricky because you need to strike the right balance between understanding that your sibling will walk away with most attention and yet you need to stick around him and help him to fight and deal his autistic behavior.
