Let me introduce my world and then explain...
I had a pretty "normal" upbringing. Mum and Dad were massively supportive of their first child, they wanted so much for me and I think I did okay. I got through school and moved 3 hours away to University. I think that really was when life started to unravel. My brother, who is 2 years younger was my shadow up until that point. We did so much together and I think leaving really pushed him towards his downward slide.
So anyway, I moved through Uni life quite smoothly. I partied, I ate, I studied. In my final year, I was offered an amazing opportunity to work with a little boy with autism. At first, I thought I was rubbish at it and I struggled to manage work and Uni but it fell into place eventually. I graduated with a 2:1 in Psychology and Child Development (which is pretty good, go me!) and started to work with more children on the autistic spectrum. Before long, I was working 6 days a week, and every hour in the day. My job was not a job, it was a joy!
Meanwhile, at home, my brother was really deteriorating. He had stopped going to school, he became very secluded, he had a few jobs but they didn't last long. He stopped talking to friends and split up with his long term girlfriend. He had also been learning to drive, but after failing a few tests, had given up on that too. My brother is extremely intelligent, funny and charming but something was going on. He started to seek help from a private counsellor for depression and anxiety.
So back to me, life was good. I was working hard and really seeing results. My clients were so pleased with the work I was doing and I was being recommended to families all over. I was living in a 2 bedroom flat with my boyfriend who was working in a local bar and volunteering at local schools. But he really wasn't happy. He had aspirations of becoming a teacher but in the busy city, he was always overlooked for someone more experienced and qualified. We spent 2 weeks at my parents house over the summer.
During this time, I spent some time with my family. I noticed things in my brother, that I had noticed before but not really thought about. His behaviour and thought processes were very similar to the children I worked with. During a chat with mum, I told her my concerns. Mum had felt this way about him for a while and told me she had raised concerns with doctors when he was young but they told her that he was normal. A few days later, I spoke to my brother.
A very heated discussion followed by a week of being ignored was not the way I thought it would go but it prompted him to speak to his counsellor about what I had said. Within a month, my brother had a diagnosis of Aspergers syndrome.
Fast forward 6 months and my boyfriend had found a teaching course close to my parents that he had been accepted on to. Life with my brother had become difficult for my parents and they needed help. So we packed up and left our flat and my perfect job and moved back in. I quickly picked up a job at a local school, working with special needs and mainstream children to alter their behaviour and as a personal mentor. Almost a year on and we are still living here. It has not been easy!
So basically, that's me. This blog will be a learning curve. A place for people to read my opinions and experiences. I have undergone a fair amount of training on autism but do not claim to be an expert. This blog will be my life, my diary if you like. I love my brother to the moon and back and don't want people to think I am moaning and slating him. It's merely a place for others to know they are not alone and to share their experiences too. I hope you find something that you will enjoy reading x
