Neurodivergent individuals deserve respect and understanding.

What would you do if a family member criticized your autistic child’s coping strategies? Would you stay silent or stand up for your child?

This woman has a 7-year-old son who is on the spectrum. He has “unique” behaviors to help him cope and regulate.

Her family is supportive with the exception of her sister.

She confronted her sister, but she’s not sure if that was the right thing to do.

Check out the full story below for all the details.

AITAH for asking my sister to stop ‘correcting’ my autistic son’s behavior during family gatherings?

I (25F) have a 7-year-old son, Jamie, who is autistic.

Jamie has some sensory sensitivities and social quirks, like flapping his hands when he’s excited or overwhelmed.

He sometimes needs to wear noise-canceling headphones in loud places.

This woman has been open about his son’s condition, and her family supports her.

We’ve been very open about his autism with the family, and they all try to be supportive.

However, my sister (28F) has been acting differently lately.

At every family event, she loudly “corrects” Jamie, telling him to stop flapping, to stop making certain noises, or to sit still “like a normal kid.”

She confronted her sister about making rude comments.

It’s embarrassing and honestly hurts Jamie’s feelings.

She even once took his headphones off, saying “he needs to toughen up.”

I confronted her about it, explaining that these behaviors help Jamie cope. Her comments make him anxious and less likely to want to participate in family time.

Now, she’s wondering if she should just let it go for the sake of keeping the peace.

She said she’s just trying to help him “fit in” and that I’m being too sensitive.

Am I the jerk for telling her to stop and asking her to respect Jamie’s needs?

Or should I just let it go for the sake of family peace?

Her sister needs to mind her own business.

Let’s find out how others reacted to this story on Reddit.

This person thinks what she’s doing is borderline abuse.

Start correcting your sister, says this person.

People are calling out the sister.

Here’s another suggestion.

We are all unique in our own way, says this person.

Supporting a loved one means accepting them as they are, not forcing them to fit in.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a guy who was forced to sleep on the couch at his wife’s family’s house, so he went to a hotel instead.