Definition of Autism
Many people get extremely confused when people speak of autism, and they think it is just a childhood disorder. The reason why people think it is just a childhood disorder is because numerous studies focus primarily on educating autistic children, since it is very hard to do so. Autism is a biological disorder coming from the brain that impairs people’s communication and their social skills. It covers an exceedingly broad spectrum of disorders ranging from the very mild to severe. Autistics are described to be living in their “own world” and the high functioning autistics usually have two worlds; the “outside world” and “their world”. Autism can be accompanied with having many serious sensory challenges, such as lack of verbal communication, lack of eye contact, and the inability to hear what others are saying (Harris, 1994).
Siblings of Autistics
Since the definition of autism is so broad and very hard to understand, even for the most intelligent of adults, imagine how it would be for a younger child. The lack of knowledge given to the siblings of children with autism is just one of the many negative factors of having a brother or sister with autism. A siblings bond is very unique and is very important for any person’s life. Siblings usually share similar family experiences with one another, which enables them to form a special bond that lasts for the rest of their lives. Regardless that a child has autism or any other disability their siblings can often form a unique bond with them. The relationship between the siblings of an autistic child and the child with autism can be identical to the relationship between any other brother or sister. They may form a very close relationship and they may or may not remain close through adulthood, or they may not form a close relationship at all. The factors that can affect the special relationship between siblings doesn’t always have to revolve around the child’s disability and there are many other...