Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), one of the most misunderstood diagnoses in the world today, is a mental condition referring to the wide range of social difficulties that many people of all ages face. Common symptoms include habitual physical behaviors or “tics,” hardships in communicating with others, repetitive speech, and a lack of emotional expressiveness.
You may, like me, have a sibling with autism. If your sibling has just been diagnosed with ASD, chances are you’ll learn all of these through experience over the years, but it’s good to keep them in mind now as well. (Note that all people’s cases with autism are very different. This just happens to be my story, but most of these will be true regardless of the specific manifestations of autism that your sibling exhibits.)
5If you’re an impatient person, that will change.
You’re in for a rude awakening if you think your personal brand of fiery impatience is going to be okay when it comes to your sibling. Your sibling might need more time to understand things than you’re used to, and your taking as much time as they need goes a very long way for them.