Siblings and Autism

At times I worry about how my kids will handle autism. My eldest child has autism. His sister is 5 years younger. How will things turn out when they grow up? I constantly worry about how my girl's adolescent years will be, with her older brother's autism casting a shadow on her. Or who will take care of Matthew when I and my wife have grown old. Taking care of him will be a big responsibility to take on for one person, especially a younger sibling.

So I was actually pleasantly surprised to read this article from NorthJersey.com. I can understand how it is that most of the focus in on children with autism. I can relate with the feeling that it seems immediate family is greatly affected by it and it is fairly common for the parents to have support groups to help them deal with it. Siblings of children (or adults) with autism don't have the same support system. They deserve to have their own support groups too, because they have to deal with it with the same if not greater degree of difficulty as parents do. More so when it comes to growing adolescents who have the burden of trying to fit in with peers. Reading about Gabby Abramowitz striving to bring a message across through her research and through her organizing efforts make me feel hope that my children will manage on their own when the time comes.

It makes me smile when I see the little one hug and imitate her kuya. It fills my heart with joy when I see Matthew kiss the little girl on the head when they're playing. They will manage, I have hope.