My autistic brother

Hafa adai. My name is Nakita Marie Palacios Cabrera, and I would like to share something with you. My brother Nicholas has been diagnosed with autism for 14 1/2 years now. Autism is a very puzzling and painful disorder for parents and siblings to understand and deal with. You reach out with love, and get no response; you are bewildered, and hurt; and you feel completely helpless. Autism, however, is not an impenetrable wall; there are things you can do to reach out to your child or sibling, and ways you can try and help them. But before you can help them, you need to understand what autism is, how it is diagnosed, and how it is treated.

Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a “spectrum disorder” that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause for autism, but increased awareness and funding can help families today. In February of 2007, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention issued their autism prevalence report that concluded that the prevalence of autism had risen to 1 in every 150 American children, almost 1 in every 94 boys (autism is known to affect more boys than girls).

Each child with autism is unique, with his or her own individual range of symptoms and behavior. Those symptoms and characteristics are failure to develop normal socialization; disturbance in speech, language, and communication; abnormal relationships to objects and events; abnormal responses to sensory stimulation; and developmental delays and differences.

My brother Nicholas did not say a single word until he was 2 1/2 years old, and at 2 1/2 years old he first said “papa,” only to not say another word until he was 4. We were very proud of the little progress he had made and excused his solitary habits. Our parents noticed that although he preferred to be left alone to play with his toys, he did glance and make eye contact with other family members and seemed to recognize some of them too.

During my brother’s early years, other puzzling and disturbing behaviors changed our family’s vague concern into outright worry. For example, his hyperactive mood; his extreme sensitivity to loud noises while in a crowded place; his ability to climb on high places such as kitchen cabinets and closets; and even falling down, scraping his hands and knees, and not reacting to pain. He would, however, babble, shriek, laugh, and cluck his tongue frequently throughout the day. Our parents suspected a hearing problem, or even deafness, because he no longer responded to his own name. They weren’t sure about this, though, because sometimes it seemed as if Nicholas would stop whatever he was doing and look out the window or door as an airplane or helicopter flew over our house.

Our parents and other family members bought Nicholas toys they thought that he would enjoy, but he preferred to play with the trains and cars that he already had. He would turn them over and spin their wheels for long periods of time, all the while shaking his hands and babbling as he intently watched them spinning. Sometimes he would arrange them in specific patterns, known only to him, and look at them from different angles. He would also line up his cars and trains by size so that they all pointed in the same direction and would become enraged if anyone disturbed the order while he was away.

My brother Nicholas today is 15 and a freshman at Saipan Southern High School. He enjoys going to school, swimming, taking long walks, and of course admiring the cars and trains that he has collected over the years. He is my younger, yet big brother, and I love him dearly. He means the world to me, and I would do anything for him, even if it means hurting my own self.

As I have learned throughout the years, and with information available from the Autism Society of America and the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the condition we call “autism” is really one of a set of five closely related conditions. These five conditions, which all share the same symptoms, falls under the broad diagnostic umbrella called “Pervasive Developmental Disorders” or PDD. “Pervasive” means that the conditions affect development extensively and across the board. All of the conditions covered under the term PDD have the same effect on development.

PDD includes the following conditions:

* Autistic Disorders

* Asperger’s Disorders

* Rett’s Disorders

* Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD)

* Pervasive Developmental Disorder: Not Otherwise Specified (PDD: NOS)

Autism is treatable. Children do not “outgrow” autism, but studies show that early diagnosis and intervention lead to significantly improved outcomes.

My parents are advocates, not just because of my brother, but because they are open to advocating for families with children with special needs as well. They have done so much for my brother, and other families and children, and I admire them for it. They do so much to make sure these children are treated equally and respectfully just as you and I are.

It is to your advantage, and to your child’s advantage, for you to learn how to effectively practice all types of advocacy. Remember, as the expert on your child and his or her needs, you are in the best and most knowledgeable position to explain these problems to people who can help. If you don’t speak up on your child’s behalf, who will? [I][B](Nakita Marie P. Cabrera)[/B]

Nakita Marie P. Cabrera is a 17-year-old student at Mount Carmel School and resides in San Vicente, Saipan.[/I]