Growing up with autism presents a very unique set of challenges that the rest of society can often perceive as burdensome. Like many things we don’t understand, we are quick to stereotype ‘different’ as ‘bad,’ rather than seeing the beauty in what is what is perceived as imperfection.
But Ali Carbone, a woman who grew up with 3 brothers on the autism spectrum, is here to challenge society’s perspective by enlightening us with autism’s positive attributes.
“The spectrum is wide, and is represented perfectly under one roof in my home,” she wrote in a viral Facebook post. “No two Autistic people are alike, and for many, Autism is just the beginning of the developmental and cognitive disorders they will have to deal with throughout their lives.”
The proud sister went on to explain a few of the traits that make each of her siblings special in his own way:
“My oldest brother is non-verbal, blind and epileptic. My middle brother is verbal, social and suffers from severe OCD. My youngest is mildly verbal and hyperactive. These traits though, they don’t define them at all. Michael lives for a good Disney movie throwback, and would be content with giving hugs and kisses all day, everyday. Anthony quite literally thinks he’s Michael Jackson and will destroy you in any performance related competition. Luke loves to run and hang outside, and will take every opportunity to mess with his oldest brother. That is who they are.”
“For some reason, I always felt like having the boys and this thing in our home gave me some kind of advantage in life,” she told Love What Matters. “As a kid, I already understood compassion and could instantly tell if another kid around me was disabled or autistic, and I’d treat them with kindness.”
Ali says even at such a young age, she can recall her experiences with autism shaping her life purpose.