Ethel's WhatsApp answer to a research question (targeting siblings of special-needs persons):
Q: What is it like for children who have a sibling with special needs?
Ethel: It is... special. I can't speak for all people with siblings with special needs, but for me Calder is quite the emotional rollercoaster. His occasional mischief at home causes frustration and anger just like with having neurotypical siblings, though when it acts up in public in can be quite embarrassing, especially when people stare. Meltdowns are hard to deal with, but I've learnt how to calm him down over time. Meltdowns in public are quite a pain though; he tends to be quite loud during his meltdowns and his screaming attracts a lot of unwanted attention that makes the situation worse. The embarrassment and exasperation increases tenfold with all the attention which tends to be quite stressful. I admire how my mom deals with public meltdowns well instead of getting flustered. When Calder is happy, though, it really makes me happy too because his sincerity and simplicity touches me. Every day is a surprise living with Calder. He is a really sweet soul, and in some ways, living with a special needs sibling isn't as bad as people make it seem to be, at least for me.
