Arguing, shouting, fighting and with having a brother on the spectrum there was a lot of give and take growing up – but there was a whole lotta love and laughter.

We are fortunate to be a close family and I think this helps when we share the hard and difficult times that our special needs journey brings.

We are also a multiplex family and there are a few of our boys on the spectrum.

My son is an only child, and that’s completely fine as he is fortunate enough to have cousins that are like his brothers.

They say that cousins are your first friends you have as children, guaranteed to be there for the rest of your life and the ones who will only ever truly appreciate how crazy your family is.

Cameron and Alex are exceptionally close in their own way.

They have the same interests in trains, vehicles, Roblox and YouTube – oh and let’s not forget their love of the extra plain MacDonald’s burger meals.

They are often found parallel playing; be it at school club in the holidays or at home, which makes us smile.

They are both loving and kind and out of all the cousins seem to share the most unique bond and I truly feel that this is down to their autism.

They can spend hours together lying on nanas bed but both completely enthralled and oblivious to the other in their own individual task and world.

Cameron will go and venture for a snack and return with a haul for both him and Alex – usually having left out poor little Leo.

When Alex was younger he would hold his hand, guide him and ask him, “What’s wrong? Are you ok? What’s the matter? Who did it?”, if Alex was having a difficult time of things.

Cameron went through a period of referring to Alex as his “son” and this made us all smile as it was his way, we feel of expressing his love and fondness for his cousin.

Cameron will often rush off upstairs and do the baby gate for Alex, hurrying him along so that he can close the gate before Leo can catch up and disrupt their quiet.

He loves Leo also and Charlie but Leo is a whirlwind in their calm and Charlie is still a baby!

I thank my own sisters for loving my son as their own!

I thank them for their boys; for making them so loving and rounded that they, in turn, love my boy as their own!