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.)
7They’re going to drive you crazy.
Your sibling’s fits, repetitive behaviors, or lack of communicative skills are going make you want to bang your head against a wall at some point. There are going to be times where you want to shake them and scream, “Just tell me what you’re trying to say!” Just remember that you aren’t a bad person for feeling overwhelmed and irritated – just a human being.