From the ages of 1-6 years old, me & my twin brother were very close. Our sibling relationship began to decline rapidly when he started experiencing autistic meltdowns and this impacted our relationship heavily. At the time, I was still young and unable to understand what autism was, with adults around me too weary to … Continued
Olly and I were born twenty years ago. We are identical in every way until he was diagnosed with autism, learning difficulties, and ADHD. This has led to us having different life plans from the start: I am destined to care for Olly all my life, while Olly is destined to be cared for. Olly … Continued
Ewen is my big brother and he has consumed my life from the moment I entered this complex world. I never recall questioning why Ewen didn’t talk, nor why we couldn’t attend the family meet-up or neighbour’s birthday party. My pride for my brother has always been in great abundance, not leaving any space for … Continued
The thing about being a sibling to someone with a lifelong disability is that it is very difficult to know how you feel about it. The depth of emotions are never linear and only as an adult have I realised the significance of what this has meant, how it has shaped me, and how it … Continued
I am a twenty-year-old who has a disabled sister who is now twenty-one. They received an autism diagnosis at birth. Growing up with my disabled sister certainly had ups and downs. On reflection, a feeling of volatility stands out: you would never really know how a day would go. Many days were happy such as … Continued
Hear more about the experiences of siblings in the video below, which was created in 2021 to celebrate Sibs 20th anniversary
On your radio Solihull – The South Asian Hour (2023) Adult sibling Monica talks about her experiences of being a carer Autism: In conversation with auticon (2022) Episode 9: Being a Sibling of an Autistic Person Tough topics in LD (2022) S2, Episode 2: Thriving in times of challenge with Charlotte Flynn Shapes of Grief, … Continued
An Irish Goodbye (2022) “On a farm in rural Northern Ireland, estranged brothers Turlough (Seamus O’Hara) and Lorcan (James Martin) are forced to reunite following the untimely death of their mother (Michelle Fairley). But when the pair discover an unfulfilled bucket list belonging to their late mum, their pained reunion takes an altogether different course.” … Continued
‘My sister, Katy’, the three most common words which come out of my mouth everyday. Like any little sister, I absolutely idolised my big sister growing up. I always knew that she was different but I didn’t fully grasp that being ‘different’ wasn’t really accepted by society. I always saw my sister as the most … Continued
I met my partner Isobel at work almost ten years ago. Neither of us were open about our sexualities at this point. We were good friends for around a year before getting together. I told Isobel about my sibling situation very early on as having a partner who accepted my family and all that it … Continued