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Siblings of Children with Autism
Siblings of children with autism. In our family there are three siblings of a child with autism. Sabrina, Crystal and Renee are now young adults, and have experienced differently the initial shock, grief, challenges and many joys of growing up with an autistic sibling.
Our brother MJ is the "focus person" in our family. He is the nucleus or central family member who requires intensive thought, care, attention and thorough planning for.
Consequently, at least for these three siblings of a child with autism, we are most likely to have needs and concerns like those below, which may have been both overlooked and unaddressed. We are moving towards reversing this tendency.
Brothers and sisters are too important to ignore, if for only these reasons:
- Siblings will be in the lives of family members with special needs longer than anyone. Brothers and sisters will be there after parents are gone and special education services are a distant memory. If they are provided with support and information, they can help their sibs live dignified lives from childhood to their senior years.
- Throughout their lives, brothers and sisters share many of the concerns that parents of children with special needs experience, including isolation, a need for information, guilt, concerns about the future, and caregiving demands. Brothers and sisters also face issues that are uniquely theirs including resentment, peer issues, embarrassment, and pressure to achieve.
- No classmate in an inclusive classroom will have a greater impact on the social development of a child with a disability than brothers and sisters will. They will be their siblings’ life-long “typically-developing role models.” Source: The Sibling Support Project
Sibling Resources
For more information on Sibling Issues click here.
View the article: Siblings of Children with Special Health and Developmental Needs
Siblings of Children With Autism Books
Autism Children Books
Return to Stress on Families
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