I do not pretend to know much more than average about Autism Spectrum disorder, aside from observations of my older cousin (who is thought to be somewhere on the spectrum) and half-remembered medical facts. So it was a great opportunity to learn more when my schoolmate Omer came to talk about his relationship with his autistic 8-year-old cousin as part of writer’s fortnight.
Omer, being able to stay with said cousin for many weeks at a time, was very positive of his relationship with him. Due to him being the oldest of the 10 family cousins, he is especially close to him, to a level that surprised me. He described how his cousin, who has severe autism and struggles in any social interaction and conversation, is quite trusting of Omer. Omer is frequently a part of his cousin’s therapy in assisting him in improving conversation skills.
That, I think, was the biggest takeaway from his talk. I had always mistakenly believed that it was very difficult to build meaningful, reciprocal relationships with people with severe autism. Yet when I reflect on that thinking now, it does appear rather stupid, as that would imply that one cannot form emotional connections with a person who feels emotions and has intelligence but processes and expresses them diffrently. And people say they love their dogs love them and dogs love them back, so such a statement is incorrect in all contexts. It is all about the neurotypical person understanding, adapting, and accepting neurodivergence including autism, so that such relationships can bloom healthily.
I am very thankful to Omer for coming to speak with us, and hope to be more accommodating and open to all neurodivergent people I meet in the future.