Today is National Autism Awareness Day
It only feels right to take the time to write a whole post about this. This day deserves more recognition than it gets. It hits especially close to my own life.
Let's get back to the basics. For those who don't know, Autism is defined as, "Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication." This is directly from the Autism Speaks website.
Some may ask, "why is this day important to you?" My older brother Cody was diagnosed with Autism when we were younger. There's about a 5 year age gap between the two of us. As a sibling to someone with special needs, I didn't quite understand what that meant. I was too young to understand how Cody was any different than my other siblings. To me, he was my brother.
I typically explain to others that Cody's mind almost works like a dvd player. He can easily tell you a fact (specifically sports) from 10 years ago but include the teams, score, and any other finite detail others may not remember. But, it can also hinder him in how fixated he can be on an event, especially if it isn't a pleasant memory to remember. Don't worry though, he never forgets my sister and I's collegiate game losses to our biggest rivals and what the score was. So we'll always have those memories LOL.
It wasn't always easy though. There's one distinct time I remember Cody and I had fought over something, he lied, and me being the younger sibling...went and told my parents what he did. Cody looked me in my eyes and said that he hated me. Now, I'm already a sensitive person, but hearing my brother say he hated me, wrecked me. I remember my mom hugging me and saying, "Kayla, it's not Cody saying that. It's his Autism." I was so young I couldn't understand what that meant.
I've never been more proud to have Cody has my brother. He's done things people didn't know if he might ever want to do. Cody not only graduated high school, he got his GED, and currently works a job. His career with Special Olympics Washington allowed him opportunities to play soccer with Man United, Chelsea, traveling to Costa Rica to play for the US Special Olympics Soccer team, and cultivate friendships we know he'll have for a long time. It even gave my siblings and I the privilege to get to play some of those sports with him. He's 10x cooler than I can ever imagine being!
I think what's truly been the best part of Cody is watching his growth as a person. Sure, those are fun accolades that people see. But I think my relationship with him is the best part of Codyman. Over the last 5 years, he's opened up to me in a way I don't see him do with others. He tells me he loves me, wants me to drive him to work, and will text me to talk about what's on his mind. It took us a long time to get to this relationship and to have a better trust with one another.
Whenever I end talking about Cody, I always tell people that I would not be who I am today had it not been for Cody. I would not be as kind, empathetic, understanding, or loving had it not been for him. He's made me see things and people in a different way that I wouldn't before. He's the reason I got my new job working as an Autism Therapy Assistant. I've gotten to learn so much already about Autism to better support Cody but even my own kids who have a chance to have it one day.
All that to say, here's more information than you knew maybe about Autism.
And, I'm so amazed by my brother and where I am in my life because of him.
I love you so much Codyman! This day is for you ❤️