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You may feel that your autistic brother or sister doesn’t get told off as often as you do and that your parents give them more attention. As a sibling this may make you feel angry, sad, jealous, frustrated and/or confused. These are all natural reactions. You could try watching our What is autism? video, understanding why your sibling acts the way that they do may help.
Bridget shares her experience of having a sister on the autistic spectrum:
Even now I still find it hard to deal with. I'm a lot more patient with my sister than I used to be, and I'm trying to be a better sibling to her. I sometimes slip and get into a bad mood - but hey, I can't be perfect all the time. I'm still getting used to the whole concept of autism, and I don't really understand all about it.
Talk to an adult if you’re being bullied because you have an autistic sibling. You could ask a teacher or pastoral support worker if they can teach autism awareness in school.
It’s important to remember that your parent/s don’t love you any less than your autistic sibling. It could be that you’re able to be more independent than they are and so your parent/s feel they are able to trust you to do certain things alone. Although it may be difficult, try to speak to your parent/s to tell them how you feel, you may feel more comfortable to do this by text or email. They may be able to arrange some time when it can just be you and them. If you can’t talk to your parent/s, then try to talk to an adult in school, friend or a helpline. Talking to others who have autistic siblings may also help. There are some groups that your family can ask for support and who may be able to give you the chance to meet others in a similar situation. They are: • some National Autistic Society branches and groups • Barnardo's • Kids • Sibs • Contact
Watch other siblings talk about their experiences of having an autistic brother or sister.
since my own later in life diagnosis in 2021 via an outsourced private provider outside the NHS at age 54 now, I did not even get a post-diagnosis assessment, which should be a personal basic legal entitlement and basic legal obligation on providers, so I still have no idea what my post-diagnosis support needs are in any area, that would have enabled me to access appropriate adult autism support - my NHS GP has no training nor experience in mental health or hidden disability issues, so does not take the autism diagnosis seriously
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