These children, teens, and adults are not weird, stupid, slow, or the r word. They may seem different from you or me, but in reality they are just extra special. My brother James lives a normal life filled with love. He loves sports and Disney movies. He could kick your bum in Xbox or Playstation. He loves walking our dog Max, and he’s incredibly artistic. He loves old spice and his clothes to match. He loves to impress his girlfriend and make her feel special. Most importantly, he has one of the biggest hearts I have ever seen.

James is resilient because, well, unfortunately he sometimes has no choice. James can hear the hurtful things that people say about him in public and it impacts his day. Sometimes we’ll find him asking us, “Why has God made me different? I just want to be normal.” It’s a question that automatically breaks your heart. It sends my day right down the tube, because as a big sister and a future nurse, I want to fix things. I never want to hear him ask “Why?” again because I want to protect him from all the evil in the world. Unfortunately, I can’t be with James every second of every day, but maybe by spreading the word about autism, we can prevent him from those heart breaking interactions.

So next time you find yourself making fun or laughing at someone because there different, stop yourself. Reflect on how awful they may feel, regardless if you think they cannot hear you, because chances are they can. Instead, invite them to join you in an activity or stand up to the people causing them pain. Maybe if we all remembered this from time to time our world wouldn’t be so cruel sometimes.

-Emily