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By Ellen Geib

OG Contributor

I haven’t always been comfortable talking about autism and its presence in my family.

But because of my exposure to people with special needs, I’ve been able to develop the gift of helping others — especially those with autism. And through the process of accepting my personal situation as an older sister of two siblings on the autism spectrum, I have discovered my life’s goal: Helping others gain knowledge about autism and helping families affected by autism.

The Autism Research Institute defines autism as a severe developmental disorder that begins at birth to 2 1/2 years of age. But autism is so much more than that textbook definition.

It has been a part of my life since my brother’s and sister’s diagnoses more than 10 years ago. They both had been typical and attentive children, but shortly after the age of 2, their development regressed and our family was never quite the same.

My younger brother, John, has moderate autism and my younger sister, Carrie, has Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism. Because of that, every day is filled with numerous challenges.

I spent most of my life dwelling on the frustrations and embarrassments of living in a family with special needs. But after a while, I realized that I would never be entirely happy with my situation unless I grew to accept my siblings for who they are.

Living with autism means that my family has had to approach life differently. That’s meant numerous visits to doctors and an in-home therapist coming for as many as 40 hours a week.

We’ve also invested a lot of time in applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy. This type of therapy breaks down everyday tasks into steps that someone with autism can understand. ABA also provides a controlled environment, which is very important when teaching autistic children.

More changes came with the arrivals of various medical treatments such as chelation and auditory, visual and occupational therapies. My brother and sister have made a lot of progress through available therapies, and my family has realized that autism is treatable and that the kids have a chance to live more “normal” lives.