3.2.3 Non-Disabled Siblings Of Autistic Children

2.3 Non-disabled Siblings of Autistic Children

Having a sibling with ASD is not always easy, especially for children. No matter how much of an age difference siblings have, the non-handicapped child always has the role of an older sibling due to the delayed development of the autistic child.1,2 They have to deal with being neglected by their parents, their autistic sibling's challenging behaviour and a shift of responsibilities at home.3,4 With increasing age of the parents, the role of the primary caregiver is shifted onto the siblings.5 But even as children, brothers and sisters of a child with ASD have more responsibilities, and often even a 'parent role' at home. DeMyer describes two kinds of siblings: The first kind identifies completely
One the one hand, a lot of embarrassment, anger, guilt and helplessness was found among siblings of handicapped children. On the other hand, greater acceptance and tolerance than in children with normal siblings, less conflicts, more willingness to help (24% as reported by parents, 44% as reported by professionals)14 and also pride about being able to teach their sibling was detected.15,16,17 Parents generally describe the relationships between their children as positive: In a study only 13% reported disturbed relationships between siblings. It was also stated that siblings are often more effective in working with the autistic child at home than the parents. The reason for this is that children usually are more open and unprejudiced than adults and interact in more spontaneous and playful
Teachers generally have positive relationships with their disabled students but when they are confronted with challenging behaviour it has a negative impact on the relationship and thus the social inclusion of the child. Nevertheless, 86% of interviewed teachers (2001) agreed with the inclusion of children with autism. They, however, requested support, resources and training.34 It has also been found out that teachers with basic knowledge about autism experienced the inclusion as positive and were willing to make greater modifications in classrooms and speech towards the autistic child than uninformed teachers, who often felt tense or anxious when confronted with the