I am dedicating this article to my big brother, who I know is capable of anything and everything and will conquer his obstacles no matter how big or how tough.

This month being Aspergers, Autism, and ADHD awareness month I feel it is very fitting to write an article dedicated to those dealing with it, specifically those who grew up with a sibling dealing with it.

My big brother has Aspergers and being little kids I never really thought much of it, much less knew what it even was. We always played together, made up games, and (of course) bickered and fought like all siblings do. Things were always normal for us as kids.

But so it goes as we grew up this became a more defined issue in his life and I experienced first-hand how it affected him and this is something I would not wish on anyone and the main reason for this article. I want the people going through and seeing the same things that I have seen from my brother to know that they are not the only ones, because I know I have felt that way before, so this one is for you.

I saw my brother let his mind take him to a very dark place and being his little sister I wanted to do anything in the world to help him, but I have always felt so helpless. His social life has been affected immensely being an adult now, he wants nothing more than to feel included but as most know Asperger's is a condition that makes it hard for one to function correctly in social situations. I have met few souls sweeter than his and it hurts my heart to see him want something so badly but not know how to get it. Through this journey of learning more about his condition and all of the tears and things said the most important thing that I have learned is:

listening as much as possible and never making him feel less than because of his condition will help more than you know.

You may feel as if you should be giving all of this life advice to help them out but the truth is, if it isn't something they want to hear, they are not going to hear it. And that was the hardest thing about trying to help my brother, no matter how much I wanted to talk and tell him exactly what I was thinking, I just had to sit there and listen. But at the end of the day, I take comfort in knowing that listening does help even if it is in the smallest way.

Even though my brother has his differences, he is so smart and he knows so many interesting things that not many other people can say they know, which always makes for an interesting conversation when he is having a good day. My family is so blessed that even though he has very high functioning Asperger's, he is capable of leading a fairly "normal" life. We just take it day by day and we never forget to make it known that we are always here for him. Letting it be known every day that they are wanted and that they do have at least someone in their corner will mean the whole world to them, that is a promise.