From an Autistic Boy's Big Sister by Madison

From an Autistic Boy's Big Sister by Madison - April 2019 Scholarship Essay

There’s a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold...
Most of my childhood memories include the sounds of Led Zeppelin blasting from the other room, particularly “Stairway to Heaven.” The others involve drum beats rising from the basement, headphones left on the floor, or band names written on our chalkboard. I guess this explains why I do so well in “Music Jeopardy.” I’ve always come home to records spinning, a full length “ranking session” about “so-and-so’s new album,” and a little boy fascinated with me. When he was born, he decided that I was his favorite person. His piercing blue eyes followed my every move. He listened to me singing random songs that I had made up, such as “Madison’s Place.” However, none of these memories fully describe the marvel that is my little brother Cameron.
So when I found out he had Asperger’s Syndrome, my world flipped. Everything started to make sense. By the time Cameron was 4, he picked up on every detail from what I had learned that day at school. He would analyze every detail to new albums. He made me CDs that included every song that I had ever expressed interest in, printed out the lyrics to the songs, and posted them on a posterboard for me, just in case I wanted to sing along. Cameron’s ability to remember such minute details about all things music is what fascinated me. So much so, that I decided to turn it into my future.
Child development has been an interest of mine for a long time, and I’ve always wanted to help children in some fashion. Primarily, my passion lives within their imaginations. Creativity is something that I strongly value, as most of my own life as a child was spent in front of an easel. Art therapy has the ability to engage the mind and body in ways that verbal methods are unable to do. Through different forms, such as painting or singing, people can express the issues they’re grappling with. I want to be the person who gives this gift of articulation to people and help heal the world.
Going back to “Stairway to Heaven,” Cameron’s Asperger’s (as one might witness it) parallels the progression of the song. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder if he recognizes this. Led Zeppelin’s iconic piece begins with the distinctive guitar riff. It’s different from other songs in the classic rock genre but still is classified as classic rock. His Asperger’s makes him a slight outlier to some, but it also makes him unique and a treasure. The lyrics show strong attention to detail and there’s a melodic pattern through the entire piece. Cameron picks up small details from everything he has ever heard or witnessed. He also enjoys being able to find patterns within the details. The tempo changes and the drum beat comes in. The guitar switches to electric, and it becomes a non-verbal conversation with some restrictions within the notes being played. Cameron sometimes experiences “episodes” of becoming non-verbal. He can also “self-restrict” within his daily schedule, needing to know what will be happening when. The instruments close out, just as with any other song, and Robert Plant’s voice sings the last lyric:
...and she's buying a stairway to heaven.