Dominic and Kamillah

This sibling story features the importance of a siblings family support:

Backstory:

Dominic currently lives in Maryland and he is in 7th grade. When he is not going to school or taking care of his sister, Dominic likes to play baseball or go fishing with his dad. At school he likes to help out in his special needs classmate’s activities.

What was his life initially like with a special-needs sibling?

When Dominic was 6 his sister, Kamillah, was born. He was initially jealouse because she was the star and the center of attention. After some time he started to understand his responsibility as an older brother, especially as an older brother of a special need, and he realized that it was his responsibility to support and defend his sisiter. Dominic and Kamillah are makes sure she’s safe and defend her 

What is his relationship with his sister currently?

As Dominic has grown up his relationship with his sister has become closer. One thing that he does with Kamillah is teaching her new skills. For example, when Kamillah has a doctor’s appointment Dominic tries to keep an eye on her to prevent her from biting different objects or people. Dominic also said that whenever he falls down Kamillah laugh with him and imitates him as well.

How do his parents affect their relationship?

Dominic’s parents help build his relationship with his sister. For example, they will introduce new activities and games, such as playing catch. One thing that Dominic tries to do with his sister that he has learned from his parents is to get Kamillah out of her comfort zone. A lot of times while she is playing new games with Dominic her playful personality comes out and she pretends likes she’s driving car and makes car sounds. Dominic’s parents get a lot of toys that both Kamilliah and Dominic can use.

What challenges does Dominic face having a special needs sibling? 

One common struggle that Dominic has to work around is that Kamillah won’t listen to certain instructions and she will start to run. This was a really big issue when she was younger, but as she’s grown Kamillah has become a better listener. Another challenge that Dominic faces is that Kamillah will say “no” a lot. It also can take her a very long time to get comfortable in different enviornments. Furthermore, Kamillah struggled to keep her hands to herself so Dominic likes to tell her “gentle hands” to remind her.

What has helped Dominic overcome his challenges?

Dominic’s parents have been a big help in overcoming challenges with Kamillah. His parents are a role model for the way he treats her and what he can do to help Kamillah reach her goals. When Dominic was younger his parents reminded him to be patient with Kamillah, as he had a more difficult time understanding her condition when she was younger. Another thing that Dominic did was he looked up helpful things to do when Kamillah acted more stubborn.

What was Dominics favorite memory with Kamillah?

One memory that Dominic was talking about was when he went fishing with Kamillah. SHe got really excited and accidently hit him with the fishing rod. Another memory he has with her is when he was going to bat in baseball and everytime the empire would say ball or strike his sister would say “ball no strike”