Mental disabilities in brother

tumagmom
Tue, 30 Nov 2021 18:14:31 +0000

I can’t speak to all of the issues raised, but can only offer my perspective raising my 20 year old with HF Autism. He is a college sophomore now and there are some things we just can’t ever “make” him understand, reason with, etc. His strong suits are amazing but his areas of deficiency are challenging.

One thing I know is how much he wishes things were easier for him. How hard it is on him to not understand all the world around him, social subtleties, friends, employers, and life in general. I have found that really meeting him where he is, lots of open dialogue and not pushing too hard are helpful. Lots of what can I do to help? Validation-it seems like you are having a rough time, do you want to talk about it or spend some quiet time alone? Choices to empower what he can control, because I know he feels so out of control a lot. It’s easy for us without mental health issues or diagnoses to think the answers are simple, or that change and working harder makes it better. They just aren’t.