In my profession, I often write articles from a parent’s perspective about having a 17-year-old daughter (Annie) with severe autism, and intellectual and developmental disabilities. My overarching goal, with these stories, is to provide compassion, understanding and hope to families, caregivers and professionals who may be in a similar situation.

For the past 15 years, I’ve made it my mission to understand Annie’s diagnosis, and provide her with a secure, happy and fulfilling future. Learning how to advocate not only for Annie, but for all individuals diagnosed with autism, has aided in this mission. Becoming educated on the topic of autism also has been somewhat cathartic, as it allows me to feel as though I’m doing something to help Annie.

For Annie – and countless others living with cognitive differences – there is no known cause or cure, or predictable therapy or treatment regime guaranteed to ensure maximum impact. These truths can be extremely overwhelming for any parent or individual. These truths, however, also can be eye-opening.

My 18-year-old son, Danny, recently shared an essay about his personal journey with his sister – from a sibling’s perspective. It was similar to my own journey, yet uniquely different, and it could not go unseen (I did get his permission to reprint!)

“Haircut.”
“Yes, Annie, you will have a haircut on Tuesday.”
“Haircut.”
“Yes, Annie, I know.”
“Haircut … Haircut.”

Now, imagine this conversation continuing for four hours straight, while working on
a crucial school assignment. All my life, I have lived with my sister, Annie, who
has autism. Autism is a developmental disorder that affects the social interactions
and communication of an individual. She means the world to me and is one of my
biggest inspirations. Although I feel this way, the rest of society doesn’t
understand her in the way I do. Her disorder isn’t apparent in how she looks, but in
how she acts. She struggles to communicate and gets very frustrated.

I am a firm believer that something positive comes out of every situation. Annie’s
autism has served as a catalyst to change my own outlook on life. She has changed me
as a person, shaped who I am, and instilled three core values I hold above all else.

The first value is patience.

Every time I get frustrated with Annie, I imagine the struggle she undergoes, every day,
that is infinitely harder than what I am going through. Annie has anxiety, so she repeats
the same phrases, such as getting a haircut, over and over again because she needs to have
a set schedule she follows every day. From this, I have learned to be patient with others,
and become less frustrated in the real world.

The second value is perseverance in helping others.

I am committed to helping my community, and helping make people
aware of people like Annie. This led me to volunteer in my community with organizations
that help families with autism because I understand the difficulties families undergo in
transitioning to living with a child diagnosed with autism. I also began volunteering with local
political candidates in my area because political decisions play a major role in how children
with disabilities are treated. I want Annie, and others with disabilities, to be treated with care.

The final and most important value is kindness.

Interacting with Annie has taught me to be kind to others. There are a lot of people in society
who do not understand Annie, and tease people who have this disorder. As a result, I have
learned to show, and treat others with the respect I would want to see my sister treated.
Without Annie in my life, I could have been just like those other people in society who do not
understand, but she has allowed me to see people through a different lens, and respect them for
who they are as people. Every person should be kind, yet there are times when people are not
kind to Annie, which disheartens me.

I care about Annie more than I care about anything else in the world. Not just
because she is my sister, but because she created my compassionate personality.
While I used to wish she didn’t have autism, I have used this to change the way I
interact with others. Annie’s influence spreads into every aspect of my life, and
she has given me the inspiration to make an impact in the world around me.

As a mother, and a professional in the special needs field, this essay reminded me that siblings experience the same feelings and issues that caregivers and parents do.

And to Danny, thank you for this wonderful essay about your sister. Annie is so lucky to have you and Ryan as her brothers. You make me so proud, and my heart so warm.