Owen 1: How Autism Has Affected My Brother

Not many of you might know this about me so I’m going to expound on this. Ever since I was very young I’ve always been the big brother. However, I am actually the middle child. I have a younger sister named Lily who drives me absolutely crazy but I love her and I have an older brother named Jacob who goes by Jake. He is a senior here at Nazareth and enjoys almost anything that involves a computer. He is kind, smart, compassionate, and is literally my “big brother.” However, Jake also lives with Autism. He was diagnosed at the age of three when I was just one year old. When I was growing up Jake was very sick. His immune system was weak and he had trouble fighting off fevers and colds that with medicine we all take for granted. He needed special care from doctors in Connecticut and just needed overall my parent’s full attention. 

Many of you might know that Autism can cause children to be less vocal and tend to want to be alone. I never let Jake be that way, even though I am his little brother I always pushed Jake to communicate with his family. When Jake wanted something I was there for him. As time went on Jake started to get better, he was still not as vocal as we wanted him to be but Jake’s overall health skyrocketed. Around the age of seven, Jake had been attending speech therapy about twice a week. Being the “big brother” I had to be, I was there for Jake. I would sit in on his sessions and always urge him to communicate with us. After his sessions, it was almost like he never left the speech therapist. I would ask Jake “How do you say *insert word* Jake?” and finally after years and years of therapy, and his annoying little brother making him play Wii and talk with him, Jake is communicating better than ever. School years go by and wow, Jake is a senior now. He plans to graduate with his class and attend Northampton Community College. Through this story, I want to show that no matter the problems my brother was facing I was there for him, and when he walks on that stage and receives his diploma you know that with no hesitation I will be there.