Question? Explaining autism to children

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How do you explain this to young children. Sophia is not yet 3 so we're not telling her about her dx because I don't think she'd listen or get it just yet. However her brother is 5, clearly he knows something is up. Sophia gets away with murder compared to him. I tried telling him she was just different his reply was "but I'm different too" & tears.

Any suggestions on how to put this into terms a 5 year old can understand?

Why is she "getting away with murder" compared to your son? Being on the spectrum doesn't mean bad behavior shouldn't be disciplined. That's a recipe for disaster.

As for explaining, kids are brighter than you might think. Try to explain it to him using words you know he is familiar with and can grasp. My daughter is 4 and I explained by telling her that some of the things that she struggles with (patience, sounds, water, etc.) are because she has autism. Mostly she asked me questions and I answered them. It's not easy explaining it.

I do have some sibling rivalry emerging since my younger child needs much more direction, being non-verbal for the most part. My older one wants praised for everything she does plus everything her little brother does. Sometimes it's exhausting. I think your bigger issue, like mine, is probably the rivalry - which is made so much more complicated by these diagnoses. I just keep trying to explain, like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sicks

talk with son about his strengths...praise him for good behavior. ..tell him that daughter has difficulties with certain things because of her dx.
try to use examples that make sense to him. for instance, i had a very difficult time learning to ride a bike. i tried and tried and tried, but could never quite get it. sometimes i'd cry because i couldn't ride like everyone else. sometimes i'd get mad at everyone else for being able to do something that i couldn't ....i finally learned to ride, but after quite a long time....
this example could lead into talking about how your daughter has difficulty with something. but that there is the hope within you that she will progress to her full potential

Your 5 year old is older and there are different expectations for 5 year olds. You could explain autism to him but really, many older siblings get jealous of younger siblings because of the perceived different treatment.

My brother and I were 4 years apart and he was allowed to do a lot of things I wasn't. Yet, he complained that I "got away with stuff". He'd even pressure my parents to punish me for perceived "wrongdoings".