Busyknitter? wrote something about how her eldest deals so well with having a brother with Autism, and Ali? followed suit with a few words about how her daughter copes with the demands of sharing a house with a kid with ASD. So I thought I’d join in.

On a couple of the occasions that the ASDF families have met up, everyone has agreed on a remarkable thing that happens: for all the bad reputation that Autism has, and for all of the tantrums, breakdowns, violence and destruction that all these families endure not just on a daily basis but, for most of us, several times a day, the time that these families spend together is amazing for its lack of incidents.

Why? Because (for some strange reason) having a sibling with Autism makes a child particularly gentle, considerate, understanding, patient, tolerant, good at communication, resilient, kind and very, very proactive when it comes to including other kids in their play.

These children are not abnormal paragons of virtue. They all have their moments; Little Madam, for example, is quite capable of reducing me to an incandescent blob of fury in about fifteen seconds when she wants to (I think it’s a woman thing. Darling Wifey uses the same tactic when she wants to assert her own superiority over the Y Chromosome) and since her discovery that pocket money is earned in this house, she has? ruled the family? with an iron fist? in order to maintain? her tidying and cleaning regime. And Tiny Flirt is relishing the effects? that calculated disobedience has on parents and nursery staff.

But these two kids are also capable of breathtaking generosity and understanding. This week, Little Madam has researched Child Sponsorship on the Internet (after it was mentioned in a lesson at school) and, with our help, has diverted £18 of her earned pocket money every month to support an 8-year-old Ethiopian girl called Negesu.

Trust me – I’m a teacher and I know what I am talking about. The kids whose siblings have Autism are all? a long way? above average.