Dear High School Bully,

You know the kid with the big headphones, who enjoys cars, and who doesn't understand the sarcasm thrown his way? Do you remember the kid you tried to make fun of by asking “Are you Autistic?" Well, he was.

The person who I look up to comes home crying, seeking why he was different, why people didn't like him and, why is brain was messed up, because of you. My older brother has such a generous heart, but when you take something he can't control, and then to utilize it to insult, not only him but other people who don't appreciate the struggle, it makes you cruel.

The kid you make burn with embarrassment is the same older brother who brings me cinnamon rolls on his weekly trip to Whataburger. This is the same kid who asks me how my day went and then feels bad when I'm upset, even if he didn't do anything. This is the brother who sits and watches crime tv shows with me for hours. The same brother whom accident spoils season finales because he gets too excited. He always showers at 10 pm, and he follows the rules and undergoes rituals that dictate his day. He blares 80s music through his headphones; he plays video games all day, and he appreciates his family so much. He struggles with homework, tests, and fitting in. That sounds like an average teenager to me. You may make fun of him for being too loud yet, under it all is a deep depression. This is the same kid who describes his mind as a house with molding floors and has paint chipping off the walls. The same son who told our mom, he didn't see the point in living anymore.

What if I said “genuinely, the fact you can't come with something more original than “Are you Autistic?” show how smart you are.” Now, are you mad? Then recall how you feel when someone calls you out for something that makes you feel better because we know you are putting my brother down to make yourself feel higher on your pedestal when you say his headphones are too big and look stupid.

Did you know that autism is accompanied by sensitive ears, and that sound canceling headphones aid him to get through the swamped hallways? I bet you didn't. Autistic kids exhibit the characteristic that makes it difficult for them to interact socially, communicate, and demonstrate sensory sensitivities. They fixate on one thing that is important to them; activities, interests, or hobbies. They typically have a movement to assist them to cope with uncomfortable subjects or places. People with autism struggle to apply the right emotions and, they can't tell how other people are feeling. Autism isn't found until the kids are about three years old and they stop developing skills normally. So mentally, my brother and I are the same age, but he still graduated when he should have according to his chronological age. Which I got to say is pretty darn impressive. He works strenuously to achieve even when it's a struggle and harder than it should be. This isn't something he chose, it wasn't anything my mom did wrong while pregnant, this was a faulty gene in his DNA. So why are you bullying him because of it?

Now let me clarify, I'm not proposing you merely stop making fun of people who ARE autistic. I am asking you to stop using the term altogether. I feel that the most used insult is to use someone's mental health against them. Something you say to just be funny for a split-second may live on with some because autism isn't something you can just turn off. It’s forever.

So High School Bully, do you get it now? When you make fun of my brother for bouncing his leg, he is really just trying to cope with the situation at hand. When you made fun of him for acting younger, it's because he kinda has, yet he still graduated at the same time as you! When you made fun of him for being "special” you may have meant “special-ed” but I think he is the most special person to ever graduate from here. So please, keep your comments to yourself and think before you speak.

Sincerely,
Liv H.