Learning About Autism

At the age of two years old, my little cousin A.J. was diagnosed with severe autism. At the time that of the prognosis, I had barely reached the age of eight years old. Finding out about autism bestowed a challenge upon me. Grasping the idea of the big topic of autism frightened me. In order to explain what exactly this fancy word meant, my mother set out to find a way to demonstrate the meaning of it through literature. Being a teacher, my mother had access to a plentiful amount of resources related to autism. She then came across the novel, My Brother Charlie.

My Brother Charlie is an amazing novel about a set of twins, one in which has autism. Throughout the novel, Charlie’s sister finds ways to handle the situation bestowed upon them. By reading this book, I was able to understand just how common this disorder is and how others learn to handle it.

After reading, I looked at A.J. in a whole new light and learned to love him even more. I gained new skills in knowing how to associate myself with him and how to better read him. Throughout the years, our bond continues to grow.