Peculiar Children - What makes them so amazing?
Autism is a subject often shied away from or people are miss informed about. Growing up in a house hold with two autistic brothers, both of the Aspergers variety, life can be pretty hard. However, you may not ever experience such a loving set off people again in your life time. So why am I referring to my brothers as 'peculiar', well its's simple; they are. This is not a statement said in jest, my brothers are peculiar, but mainly my little brother. He was 'diagnosed' as autistic at the age of 5; he is now 10.He is the most peculiar, spectacular person I know.
What makes him so amazing is his ability to love so deeply and care so much about the family around him, his need to make us happy and impress us with the tasks we see as simple; such as making a cup off tea. His intelligence is spectacular, often as it is with autistic Children, when they love a hobby or a TV programme they will know anything there is to know, they will fully amerce themselves in seeking the knowledge they strive to have. All therelittle quirks and 'odd' little habitts are what make them so amazing.
When people stop and stare
Many people with autism may struggle in social situations, they don't understand sarcasm, they often offend people when they think they are making a joke, the simplest thing as someone glancing at them in the 'wrong way' can send them in to a meltdown.
My brother is faced with difficult social situations everyday, many off them would be normal and common practice to people like you and me, but for him, simply sitting in a class room with other children can be a task. One thing that as a family we are often faced with though is the onlookers, who feel they can judge you, hinting at bad parenting, saying the child is 'naughty' when they do not know the silent battle he has inside, trying to decipher the situation at hand.
A simple trigger to a public meltdown could be as simple as the word 'no', but his peculiar traits don't always see reason and the gears in his head turn too fast; he simply can't process what is going on. To all the people who don't understand him; just keep walking, don't stop and stare, he is just expressing his feelings in the only way he knows
A letter to my brother
Life isn't always easy for a family with autistic children, often as the 'normal' child we can feel left out.
It isn't that are parents don't care enough or that our siblings are attention seeking, they just need a little extra hand and sometimes with such 'normal' tasks as remembering to have a drink. So to my little brother, yes you may be peculiar, but that's what makes you my favourite person. You have a spark in you that is so bright that every heart you touch shines a little brighter. To all the families, to the siblings, to the parents to the peculiar children, you are not alone. Your peculiarities are what make you who you are; amazing.
