Brother With Autism: A Child of the Stars, True Story

Children with autism have a beautiful name—children of the stars. My younger brother is one of those starry children. His imagination runs wild, and he always lives in his own little world.

In 2005, after dating for a few years in Singapore, my parents returned to their hometown of Taiping to start a family and opened a small sushi restaurant. Two years after their marriage, they welcomed me and my brother, forming our family with the Chinese character ‘好’ (Hǎo), which means ‘good’ or ‘well.’

As the first granddaughter, I was adored and pampered from birth. However, the good times didn’t last long.

Autism and Family Relationships

When my brother was 18 months old, he was diagnosed with classic autism. This news was a thunderbolt, completely changing our lives. All of our family’s attention immediately shifted to him. My parents searched for medical help everywhere, hoping my brother would recover soon.

Unfortunately, my brother’s condition didn’t improve; it worsened.

He couldn’t study quietly like other children, and when he lost control of his emotions, he would hit walls, strike others, or even harm himself. Once, he hit the glass cupboard, causing his hands to be covered in blood.

My mother, witnessing all of this, felt utterly helpless. She became gaunt and worried constantly about money and my brother’s future, often thinking about what would happen if she were no longer around and fearing that my brother would become a burden to me. Gradually, she fell into a deep depression.

During those countless days, my brother’s emotional outbursts primarily affected me and my cousin. He would hit my head violently, even pulling my hair and banging my head against walls. My cousin, being playful, often accidentally provoked him and ended up getting hit.

Despite this, my grandparents often told me, “You are the sister; you must be patient and take care of him.” This filled me with resentment, making me feel that my brother had taken away all my love. Sometimes, I even thought that it would be better if he were no longer around.

Prayer and Miracles: Autism’s Breakthroughs

During this time, my brother’s special education teacher encouraged my mom to pray to Jesus. At first, she dismissed it as superstition, thinking the teacher was naive. However, when my brother first went for tutoring, my mom felt moved by the Holy Spirit and prayed to God. After the session, the teacher shared shocking news—my brother had sat quietly in his seat the entire time.

For my mother, this was a tremendous surprise, as my brother could usually not sit still for even a second. Although she doubted it was merely a coincidence, she began to pray continuously for my brother, and each prayer brought good news.

On my brother’s first day of primary school, my mom prayed again, hoping he would sit quietly. She even made a promise: “If he does well, I’ll take the children to church!” Sure enough, my brother managed to stay seated all day. Witnessing God’s promise, my mom decided to take us to church.

On Sunday, she took us to the children’s Sunday school. During worship, my mom was deeply moved by the lyrics of a song called “The Sun Above the Clouds.” Tears streamed down her face as she realized that even in the valley, God had already prepared a beautiful path for her. From then on, my mom attended Sunday services weekly and prayed daily for my brother.

As my brother’s situation gradually improved, her faith grew stronger. In 2014, she was baptized in the church and officially became a Christian, and my dad also came to believe in the Lord after seeing my brother’s changes.

Overcoming Resentment: A Journey to Understanding Autism

However, my brother’s transformation didn’t erase the resentment in my heart. Whenever my mom mentioned my brother in front of others, I felt unhappy, often questioning, “Am I not a biological daughter? Why does he always get more attention than me? Why must I always accommodate and care for him?” Every time I returned home, my family was busy with their things or taking care of my brother, leaving me feeling like an outsider.

When my brother was 12, he wanted to join the church youth fellowship. I was the first to oppose it and even argued with my mom, not wanting others to know I had such a brother. Despite my objections, my brother still participated in the youth fellowship and was even placed in the same group as me.

During that time, I began to reject my family, spending my days playing on my phone after finishing my homework, as if the virtual world could fill the emptiness inside me.

As time passed, my mom began to change, slowly paying more attention to my feelings and trying to understand my thoughts. I also gradually understood my parents’ “partiality” toward my brother, realizing that he indeed required special care.

Unveiling God’s Grace Through Autism

One day, the pastor asked me to share my testimony during youth fellowship. I decided to combine my brother’s story with my feelings and wrote my speech overnight.

After the sharing, many were touched by my brother’s story and shed tears. Some gently hugged me, praising my strength. At that moment, I suddenly realized that my brother is, in fact, a miracle in our family; he has shaped my resilience, and his story has touched many people, inspiring them to believe in God’s greatness.

Since then, my relationship with my brother has gradually improved.

Now, he is 17 years old, studying hard, actively participating in church activities, and even serving as a drummer and backup vocalist in the worship team. He is attending a nursing course in Ipoh, hoping to care for the elderly in need in the future.

Recently, he gave testimony at church, sharing his growth story, deeply moving my unbelieving grandparents and prompting them to hope to trust in the Lord one day.

This is the story of my lovely brother, one of the children of the stars. Our family is specially chosen by God, and He wants us to bear witness for Him, to seek the lost sheep, and to be the light and salt of the earth. Jehovah Jireh, He is the God who provides, and He has already prepared a path for our future. As long as we trust Him and walk forward with courage, we will surely step into the light!

Gynie (a pseudonym), winner of the Shadows and Light Award sponsored by Campus Crusade, shares a real-life account of faith and struggle in this award-winning entry from the Gen Z Speaks writing contest.