Autism Awareness

This is my baby brother James. He's not naughty, he isn't an out of control child, he is Severely Autistic. This post is going to be all about awareness and trying to make you understand just what exactly Autism is and how it affects children and adults like my little brother. There have been plenty of times when my mam and my brother have been given dirty looks when out and about because of the way that James acts. Sometimes we think it would just be easier for him to wear a huge badge that reads 'I AM AUTISTIC' that way maybe not as many people would judge him or my mam. But then again I think, they probably still would. Autism has got to be one of, if not the most misunderstood disabilities. Because there is such a broad spectrum of Autism ranging from Mild to Extremely Severe it can seem that some kids who claim to be Autistic are just using it as an excuse to be naughty. This is not the case at all, and I want to try and make you understand just what its like for my brother on a daily basis. You think that you feel uncomfortable because of how my brother acts in public? Let me tell you how it is for him...

Hi, I'm James. I'm 9 years old, but I don't want to be 10. I'm going to stay 9 forever because any form of change confuses me. I like order and routine. Only my mam can pray before we eat dinner and if my sister Lucia tries to play with me my brain can't get around that because she is my supervisor and protector. Her role isn't to play with me, that's my big brother Sam's job. I hate it when anyone sings Happy Birthday, and if people shout it really hurts my ears. You see, every single one of my senses is heightened. I hate the smell of gravy and vinegar, it hurts my nose when I sniff it. When I go to Tesco's, its really scary for me because the lights are so bright, and every single tiny noise hurts my ears. There is such an overload of smells that my nose can't cope, and it hurts me so much. I am already dealing with all of this, so when you come over and try to talk to me, because yeah I know I'm so cute my big sister Ashleigh tells me all the time, I just don't have the brain space to interact with you because of everything else I am dealing with! I'm not a nasty little boy, and I'm not rude. I just prefer to stay in my own little space so that I can deal with whats going on as best as I can until I can get back home and play on my iPod and ignore the world, please understand. I feel the safest when I'm sitting next to my dad telling him about all the dinosaurs and about every detail of the game I'm playing. I love my cat Gracie and my dog Blossom, but I don't like it when I cuddle her and she tries to lick me! It can be annoying when I rewind the telly over and over again because I don't want to miss a second, but you see, unlike a lot of you people, my family understand and they care for me. They just want me to feel comfortable in whatever I do. So if that means that when I go out and I'm finding it hard to cope that I just have to sit in my big boy pram with my ear defenders on and a blanket to block the world from me, then okay that's what I will do. I'm not scary, and I'm not naughty. I am Autistic. Please don't stare at my mam or me, its not our fault. It was the way I was born, and I'm special. I'm funny and cheeky, and I love my sisters and brothers even if sometimes I don't know how to express it. Next time you see a little boy or girl like me at the shops being 'naughty' instead of giving the mother a dirty look, take a second to stop and think there might be more to the situation than first meets the eye.

Thank you for reading my story.