‘Love on the Spectrum’ Cast’s Siblings Open Up About Being ‘Very Protective’ and Supportive

The Love on the Spectrum cast members’ families are always looking out for them. The siblings of stars Abbey Romeo, Connor Tomlinson and Tanner Smith shared how they’re “protective” over the Netflix stars, as well as what it was like growing up with a brother or sister who has autism.

Ben Romeo told PopSugar that living with Abbey’s autism is “very familiar to me, because she’s older than me, I’ve never known anything else,” in an interview published on April 11.

However, for Ben, 25, it meant he had a different upbringing as a result of his sister’s condition. Abbey, 26, has previously shared how she was diagnosed with autism when she was 2-and-a-half years old.

Autism is a neurological disorder. Those on the autism disorder spectrum have challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication, according to Autism Speaks. The organization noted that the average age of diagnosis is 5 years old, but autism can be detected in the early stages of childhood development.

“As I got older, I was aware of what it really meant that my sister had autism, and what it means in the world,” he said. “I had to grow up quicker than most kids.

For Ben, it meant watching over Abbey during their childhood when their mom, Christine Romeo, was at work.

“It was a way to force myself to mature faster,” he told the outlet. “But by the time high school and college had rolled around, I felt more mature and independent than my peers. I was more content and confident with where I was.”

Ben recalled being made aware of Abbey having autism when he was 5 years old, only the word itself wasn’t used.

Instead, he was given “more of an explanation” about why Abbey acted differently than other children. “Very quickly, the full picture was very clear,” he explained

For Midge Smith, she was aware of Tanner having autism her entire life, since he was diagnosed with it around the time she was born. The South Carolina resident was diagnosed at 4 years old.

“Autism was always this thing that I felt like we rotated around — making sure Tanner was comfortable, in the best schools, and getting the best therapy,” she told PopSugar.

Anna Tomlinson and her other brother, Jack Tomlinson, were made aware of Connor’s condition after their parents discussed the diagnosis with the Netflix star first.

“It was really important to my mom and dad to have that conversation with him first,” she told the publication. “They let him tell us about it. They wanted him to know about it first before telling the whole family.”

Anna said of her response, “It was just like, ‘OK, cool. That’s just a fact about you,'”

Jack is younger than Anna and unlike her, he didn’t get a conversation about Connor’s autism.

“He was just our older brother,” he explained. “When I got to a certain age, I started to think, ‘Why does Connor do this or do that?’ But it never changed anything.”

It was difficult for Anna to watch people judge Connor, 26, growing up.

“If kids were picking on him, I was the first one to step up, which is kind of a weird thing — he’s older than me,” Anna said. But she will always look out for her sibling, adding, “I feel like I have a connection with Connor that I don’t have with anyone else on the planet. That’s my person. That’s my guy.”

Ben said he is still “very protective” of Abbey while describing their relationship as “a little parental.”

“She’s older than me, but there will always be that protective instinct I have towards her,” he explained.

“I think I am who I am because of who Connor is,” Anna said of how her brother changed her life. “He really taught me empathy and just to care for other people.”

Midge echoed the sentiment of how she couldn’t imagine life without her autistic sibling, saying, “Overall, truly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

She added how growing up with Tanner helped in her current career as a school teacher.

“I feel like I’m so much more compassionate to all of my students and the way they learn,” Midge explained. “It broadened my lens.”

Ben revealed how Love on the Spectrum has changed the lives of his sister and her costars with autism.

“The show has cast a fantastic spotlight on a neurological difference that people have heard of but don’t understand. But they’re understanding it now,” he shared. “I don’t need to worry about the world judging Abbey as much.”

Jack echoed the statement when it comes to Connor. “It’s normal to us,” Jack says. “It’s crazy that we’re seeing all these reactions [to the show] because it’s just our brother.”