Tara

Our daughter was born 14 months after Kyle. During this time, Kyle started showing early signs of autism. As a baby, Tara was so different from Kyle. He would scream if I left the room; she didn’t seem to notice. He had to have everything in a particular order; she accepted change easily. She cooed and talked early. She loved everyone on sight.

We relocated to California when Tara was 6 months old. Kyle started intensive therapy a few months after we moved. Tara attended all his therapy sessions with me and benefitted from early intervention as well. My husband and I were sitting in bed watching the children play and I started crying. I turned to my husband and said, “How could we not have known something was wrong with Kyle? Look at Tara.” She was speaking in complete sentences and having complex conversations at an early age. I related my distress to a speech therapist and she informed me that Tara was not a good measure for Kyle. Her speech skills were and still are above the norm for children her age.

I love Tara. She is a fantastic girl. She is energetic and talented. She likes to sing, dance, and draw. Tara prefers to wear dresses, especially pink and purple ones. She asks for nail polish and lip balm. She is confident and fearless. Once she walked into a bathroom full of middle school girls and she said. “Look, Momma. All my friends are here.” She started school this year and has easily made friends. Everyone who meets her has commented about her vibrant personality. I often say. “If it is ever the world versus Tara…watch out world.” She has her own mind and decides the best course of action for her. At school, we affectionately call it the “Tara Twist”. At home, her toys and clothes are usually out of order. I call that the “Tara Tornado”. She even decided she did not want to call me Mommy. She insists on calling me Momma. Do not put a camera in front of her. She instantly starts posing and hamming it up for the camera. I am excited to see how this amazing child continues to develop and grow.


I am forever grateful to Tara. She does not care that Kyle has autism. She does not worry that she will make him upset. She just knows that he is her Brother Kyle who she loves. Tara is a typical little sister. She is his best friend and his worst enemy. She likes to play with his toys without asking for permission. She does her best to annoy him. But she is the first person to defend him if she thinks anyone is hurting him. After school one day, a huge 50 pound boy playfully pushed Kyle. Tara ran over, put her hands on his stomach and yelled, “Don’t you push my Brother Kyle.” She did not care that she was smaller and younger than the boy. She just knew someone was hurting her brother and she was going to protect him.

Kyle does not know how fortunate he is to have Tara. Tara does not yet know how her life will be impacted by having a brother with special needs. We joke and say that Tara is the best therapy Kyle has ever had. Truthfully, they are teaching each other.