I am a lovely and lucky young child; I am a blessed Muslim. I have two siblings with Autism. They mean the world to me and why shouldn’t they. They are kind-hearted, fun, annoying, helpful and friendly like most siblings are.  Together, we are my family and I will not trade mine for the world.

It is really difficult for me as a sibling.  I am expected to be sensible all the time, look after my siblings and join in house chores.  I may sometimes get less of my parents’ time because my siblings need more support and attention. I, however, value the quality times they create for me a lot and I love the lovely experiences we spend together. As a family, we take great consideration in the choices of places to go and the memories, good and not so good, are lovely to keep.

When we’re outside, sometimes people look at you rudely, staring for too long and making rude comments. Sometimes, I wonder if people think that their inability to communicate in the way most of us do means they lack feelings. My siblings don’t understand so you think it doesn’t matter, but it does to me, and it hurts. It hurts the most when this happens in the House of Allah because I expect that as Believers, we will be less judgemental; avoid backbiting us, instead feel free to speak to me, ask questions in a nice manner. Together we can learn from each other and we make our mosques more inclusive.

Despite how tiring it can sometimes be, being a sibling of a child with special needs has helped nurture me. I have learnt to communicate with my brothers and play with them. I have learnt so much about life from my siblings in many ways. I have learnt that all things matter especially little things. I take care and show consideration to noise levels, light and how things feel to touch every time. I have become compassionate and kind. I am a very responsible child; a young carer and I love it too.

I think we should try hard to be nice to everyone, even if we cannot find any reason for their challenging behaviour. Some disabilities are hidden; Autism is. I think together we can all make a difference in each other’s lives.