Happy Friday Everyone!
Ok, I want to do things a little differently today and talk
about how Autism has affected my life. Everyone is impacted by Autism in
different ways and, as a sister, this is my perspective on it.
I was only four years old when Eric was diagnosed with
Autism. I could tell something was wrong because my parents seemed worried, but
I was too young to fully understand what was going on. They tried to explain it
to me, but I remember asking, “well, when will Autism go away?”
The longevity of this diagnosis was unclear to me in my
young age and it took a while for me to wrap my head around the fact that it
was a life-long thing. Gradually, it became easier for me to figure out what
Autism really meant for Eric. It was harder at certain times and easier at
others.
An example of the former would be when we would go out as a
family and Eric would make noises, or clap his hands, etc., and people would
stare and whisper. Immediately, I’d feel embarrassed. Looking back, I realize
that what presented itself as embarrassment was actually anger.
I wasn’t embarrassed by Eric, I was angry with those people
for staring at him and being so insensitive. I couldn’t figure out why they
were being so mean, and as his big sister, it broke my heart to see it
happen.
I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and I know
that Eric was brought into my life to make me a more patient, and compassionate
person.
I think about different obstacles I’ve had to face over the
years and I know that I probably wouldn’t have handled certain things the same
way if I didn’t have Eric in my life. He has definitely shaped the person that
I am today.
Who knows where I’d be, or what I’d be like without Eric,
but one thing I know for sure is that I’m better because of him. I wouldn’t
trade him for the world.
From a social perspective, this is why "autism awareness" is so important. Eric is less than two years younger than my daughter, and people knew far less about autism about 10 years ago. I had one encounter in a library where someone complained about my daughter's hand-flapping. I approached the man and asked him if it was better if I just kept her in her home and not out in public (I was livid!). Autism awareness enables people to not only be accepting of those with this disorder, but to be inclusive in society. Over the years, we draw more smiles than stares from people because they are aware of autism, and see that Susanna is a very happy young lady.
ReplyDeleteWe have had a few experiences similar to this with Eric. There was one night when we went out to dinner as a family and Eric was making some of his noises and clapping his hands. A woman in the booth behind us turned around and yelled at him to be quiet. Let's just say my dad wasn't too happy at that point. I was irate at the moment, too, and I hated that woman. Now I just feel sorry for her and pray that she learned something. I hope that spreading awareness will prevent other families from experiencing things like this.
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