Autism Awareness Day

April is Autism awareness month, but for my family (and others) it's all year round. I started my personal statement for Uni with that very sentence!

 I seem to be able to find so much to say about a new lipstick or a nice moisturiser... but when it comes to an issue like this that is so close to my heart, I'm actually finding it pretty difficult to put together some words in this post. I guess I should start by explaining (if you didn't know already) my little brother Andrew, was born with Autism. Now of course, there is a pretty huge spectrum for Autism, from forms of Aspergers right through to severe forms of Autism. I'd say Andrew is towards the severe end, so it definitely affects both him and our family massively. Without turning this post into his life story, it's difficult to sum up just how much of an impact Autism has on both sufferers and the people who love them. 

So by making this post, what do I want to achieve? I guess I think a vital part of raising awareness is making it a talked-about subject. Mental health issues aren't quite as obvious as a broken leg or any physical injuries, which makes it even more important to raise awareness about them, as they're much less widely recognised. If Autism is talked about more, maybe people might understand the condition better, which will in turn benefit those suffering with the condition as there's a much better comprehension of what they're dealing with. 

Now, my mum would be a much better person to write this post because she has acquired an extensive knowledge about the condition over the years, both through lived experience with her son and by attending a vast amount of conferences, workshops, training sessions and all things 'Autism' that you could imagine. But, I guess aside from all the science-y bits, this post is coming from a sister. A sister who has watched her brother grow up with Autism and all the things that come with it. So, I thought instead of sharing stories about Andrew's life, I'd just highlight that there's so much more to a person's life that what can be seen on the surface. That might seem obvious, but sometimes when I've seen people staring at him I often wonder if they could ever understand what his life is like.

After going through a really tough time at both a mainstream school, and a special needs one, Andrew found a new place... somewhere happy. Through the hard work of my parents, he was given a place at a residential school specifically for people with Autism. I can honestly say that I've never seen him doing so well. It's changed his life. He now has one-to-one support, a busier social life than his 18 year old sister (haha) and most importantly, happiness. Aside from the challenges he will face everyday through living with Autism, he laughs, he smiles and is just generally enjoying a quality of life. As a family, we can now go out for dinner, go to the cinema and do things that were never really possible before. Andrew now has his own opinions over what foods he likes/dislikes, he now drinks tea and uses the iPad to find Thomas the Tank on YouTube haha... all the little things that have changed for him just make me so very proud of be his sister :) 

So I guess through that little brief summary, I hope to bring comfort for anyone who can relate to this, that things really can go well! I also hope to have made the most of today, Autism awareness day, by giving anyone who has read this post a little more understanding of the condition. 

And for Andrew, if you could read this... I hope you'd know there's nothing in this world I wouldn't do, for you.

From a very proud sister :) 

: ) xxxx