Fifth grader Little V was recently given the assignment to write about somebody in her life that’s a positive influence. She wrote the following about her younger brother who has autism.
This is posted today in recognition of National Brother’s Day, May 24, 2020 and to build further awareness for all developmentally disabled people.
Positive Influence Speech
The person who has a positive influence in my life is my brother, Peter. He is 8 years old and has autism. My brother is not like any other 8 year old brother. My brother has many struggles. These struggles impact his life every single day.
He has digestive issues, which means his belly hurts a lot. He cannot eat dairy, and he can’t eat gluten. He can’t eat carbs or sugar a lot. This eliminates a lot of his favorite foods like, churros and beignets.
He processes his sensory input very differently from us. This means he has a constant need to jump up and down. This means he has a constant need to flap his arms.
Another one of his struggles is, he has limited language skills. This means he can’t talk a lot.
Imagine having a need and not being able to communicate that to your parents. Imagine what it’s like to not be able to be understood and to feel so frustrated and not have the skills or ability to express that. Imagine wanting to make a friend but not have the skills to do that.
When my brother wants to make a friend at a park he gets close to their face and makes a happy sound and shakes his hands. And of course, most kids get freaked out and run for the hills. My brother lives with these limitations, every day, yet he wakes up every day with a cheerful squeal and happy to see us.
Peter didn’t start talking until he was 3 or 4 and the language he did develop went away. Peter still talks now but he has limited language. It is hard for Peter to convey what he wants through words, and Peter sees the world so much differently than we do.
Now, I know you are probably wondering why my autistic little brother has influenced my life in a positive way. Well, you see, Peter has taught me to be kind and patient and to understand that everyone is going through something tough in their lives.
Although Peter has not verbally told me, “Nanny, you need to be kind and understand that everyone is going through something tough,” he has conveyed this to me through his actions.
Peter also shows every day that he is trying his best and every day his hard work pays off and makes progress. By doing this, Peter makes me realize that even though things can be hard to never give up. He goes through a lot and to see that he works past these obstacles makes me realize that I can do the same whenever I feel like things are hard for me.
I have not always been crazy about Peter. When Peter was only a few months old, I was jealous of all the attention he was getting. I got frustrated so I grabbed my Barbie doll and whacked him on the head. Of course, my brother cried and I felt really bad. I heard the pain in my brothers voice and I hated to see him that way. From that day on, I never dreamed of hurting my brother again. And since I never hurt him again, my brother really, really, loves me.
The other day, my brother was eating gluten free crackers. He smiled at me, took a cracker, popped it in my mouth, and broke off a piece and ate it. It warmed my heart. He was so thoughtful and sweet about sharing his cracker.
Now, interviewing Peter wasn’t possible other than asking basic questions about himself. But I observe that everyday Peter has a lot of therapies and he tolerates it, and tries his hardest to succeed.
All in all, Peter has influenced my life in the greatest way possible teaching me patience, kindness, and the importance of keeping a positive attitude through his actions.