If there’s one thing Jocelyn Davis learned growing up beside a twin sister with autism, it’s that there will always be love.
“We’re all human and have differences and there will always be love, and that’s what you need to look at when you approach any type of person that’s different than you,” said Jocelyn.
Jocelyn learned the concept of love and acceptance at a very young age. The way she learned that lesson, though, was anything but loving or accepting.
“It was very hard, especially being in the same grade and sometimes being in the same class, to see how people treated Jessica because they didn’t understand who she was, what she was about,” said Jocelyn.
To her classmates, Jocelyn’s sister, Jessica, was weird. But to her family and those who knew better, Jessica was just Jessica.
“She wasn’t weird, she just processed thoughts and things that she saw differently,” said Jocelyn.
In fact, it seemed everyone knew Jessica was a little different even before she did.
“For my older sister and twin sister, I’m not sure when they found out exactly but they definitely knew before I did,” said Jessica. “There wasn’t a lot that my parents could do. For me, eventually they explained to me, sat me down, told me what I was and what it was.”
Navigating childhood, as twins and individuals, wasn’t always easy, so Jocelyn and Jessica have come up with something they hope will help kids in similar situations cope. They’ve written and illustrated a book, “There Will Always Be Love,” published in February.
“I thought it would be really interesting for me to share my point of view of growing up with Jessica,” said Jocelyn. “I wanted to write it in the point of view of somebody who was just realizing the differences in their sister and themselves.”
Jocelyn wrote the book, 25 pages of quirky rhymes told from an 8-year-old’s voice, in 30 minutes.
“I was graduating college and got this book ‘All the Places You’ll Go’ by Dr. Seuss and really liked how it was fun and poetic and something that could reach people who were of any age,” said Jocelyn.
Enlisting her sister to draw the pictures was a no-brainer.
“It was really obvious that (Jessica) was going to be the one who illustrated it,” said Jocelyn. “She’s very talented.”
Jessica said she loves the way her bright, bold and colorful images mirror her sister’s words.
“I really like the book and how it came out,” said Jessica. “A lot of the literature is targeted toward older people. … We didn’t really have a lot of books when we were kids that helped my sister explain what autism is.”
Creating a picture book that explained autism in a straightforward, kid-friendly way was important to the twins and a resource they both wish they’d had growing up.
“We thought it was a pretty good idea to see if we could make a book that could help younger kids, especially family members, understand what autism was,” said Jessica.
For the most impact, “There Will Always Be Love” had to be written together as twins.
“There’s a lot of books written by family members about autistic people … but there aren’t a lot of books written together,” said Jessica.
Jocelyn said showcasing Jessica’s art in the book sends an equally powerful message.
“There’s a lot of misinformation and fear about autism as something that is negative and something you don’t want your children to have and Jessica’s illustration of the book demonstrates that there’s so much talent in the autism community,” said Jocelyn. “It’s not something to be feared, it’s something to be educated about, it’s a way of life to be embraced.”
Jessica took her diagnosis of autism in stride and didn’t let it hold her back.
“I beat school. I managed to get through school with very little help in terms of special needs. I graduated college and I hold a steady full-time job and I’m glad that I can do that and that I’ve been able to do it,” said Jessica, who lives in Colonie.
Based on what doctors told her parents when she was younger, the Jessica of today should be considered something of an anomaly.
“My parents were told I wouldn’t be able to do anything,” said Jessica, who credits her family talking about autism and learning to cope with it early as reasons for her success.
Jessica hopes “There Will Always Be Love” will help another child with autism overcome its “boundaries.”
“I hope it helps them to cope. Autism and coping with autism … is just as difficult for everyone who doesn’t have it as much as it is for someone like me to cope with it,” said Jessica.
Jocelyn said she wants the book to create a dialogue among families and encourage kids to ask questions.
“I want for this book to encourage parents, to encourage siblings, to really talk about the person who has autism in their family and not to keep it bottled up and not to pretend that there’s nothing wrong,” said Jocelyn. “Keep that open mind and ask the questions and don’t just look at what you see at face value.”
The twins have plans for follow-up books and are both writing books on their own.
“Jessica is going to illustrate the one I wrote and … I’m going to really attempt to illustrate the one Jessica’s writing,” said Jocelyn. “They all deal with sibling issues.”
“There Will Be Love” is available on amazon.com.
