Support for Siblings of Children With Autism

Parents of children with autism spend a significant amount of time managing the demands of autism, including dealing with behavior in the home and participating in various treatment interventions. These are time-consuming tasks, particularly for parents who also have other children. It is important to provide support to siblings of children with autism, who may feel left out or lack understanding of what̵7;s happening in their home. By providing them with age-appropriate information, individual attention and outlets to discuss their feelings, these siblings can better understand and manage their experience.

  1. Autism Speaks

    • The Autism Speaks organization provides a guide to help the siblings of children with autism better understand the disorder. The language and descriptions in this guide are intended for siblings between ages 6 to 12, but the information can be reworded for use with siblings of all ages. Parents can use this guide to have a discussion and answer questions siblings might have for them. The guide describes what autism is, what it looks like, its causes, what siblings may struggle with, and common questions siblings have about autism. It also discusses how siblings can help and interact with their sibling with autism and how to ask for help if needed.

    SibShops

    • The Sibling Support Project helps provide support to siblings of children with all kinds of mental health and developmental issues. SibShops is one of its programs that provides workshops for siblings of children with mental health needs through various agencies. These programs provide information through games and activities, while allowing the siblings to interact with other children with similar home experiences. Workshops are often specified to cover a particular disorder, such as autism. They are offered in a variety of locations around the country.

    SibTeen and SibKids

    • The Sibling Support Project also offers opportunities for siblings of children with mental health and developmental issues to connect with one another online. SibTeen has a private Facebook group where teens with siblings with disabilities can connect and chat with one another. Teens may also join the Yahoo group for teens with siblings with disabilities to chat with other teens who understand their experience. For younger brothers and sisters, SibKids offers a chance for kids to chat with similar peers who understand what it̵7;s like to have a sibling with special needs on their Yahoo group.

    Autism Society

    • The Autism Society provides information to help parents support their children who have a sibling with autism. It discusses the stressors for children with a sibling with autism, including public embarrassment, frustration in their interactions with the sibling, worry about parents and family, and jealousy for the attention given to their sibling. It emphasizes the importance of helping the child understand autism and form a relationship with their sibling. It also encourages parents to set aside individual time for each child, to help the sibling of a child with autism feel they receive special attention and time with parents. Additional resources are provided to help support siblings of children with autism.

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