Looking after : a portrait of my autistic brother

Elton, Caroline (Vocational psychologist)2025

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Summary

Meet Lionel, Caroline's older brother. Born in the 1950s, when little was known about autism, Lionel was considered a peculiarity. From the beginning, he was a silent child, oblivious to the people around him and intent only on playing with his toy trucks. By the time he turned four, doctors declared him ineducable and advised that he be institutionalised. No one could have predicted that Lionel would go onto music college and find his place in the world. He had perfect pitch, could multiply three-figure numbers in his head, or work out which day of the week you were born on, the instant you told him your birthday. But when Lionel's mother dies, and shortly after he is diagnosed with cancer, his two sisters struggle to fill the void - to become Lionel's caretaker and support him as they had promised their mother.