How to Support the Siblings of ASD Children

By Trish Allison

The siblings of special-needs children are perhaps the most overlooked and unsupported members of special-needs families. This guidebook focuses on helping parents and caregivers of elementary school siblings feel loved and valued outside of their role as an ASD sibling. 

By collaborating with a professional psychologist,

• Language: English
• Publisher: DEI for Parents Media
• Release date: May 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088135976

Book preview

Author’s Note

I grew up as the younger sister (by two years) of a brother with undiagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASD was not a recognized diagnosis at the time (1970s), but the effects that my brother’s impairment had on me are the same ones that affect ASD siblings today.

What we know about ASD is constantly changing. The Center for Disease Control's most recent numbers reveal that ASD is appearing at an alarming rate of 1 in 54 children. Is that because we’re more aware of the issue or due to a true increase in the number of people with an ASD? No one really knows.

The good news is that along with that startling statistic comes an increased awareness of the effects of ASD on siblings. I was pleasantly surprised this year when updating this guidebook that the number of support organizations for ASD siblings has increased significantly.

- Trish Allison 2021

Introduction

Sibling relationships play an enormous role in a child’s developmental growth. Often, they are a child’s first exposure to a social network and therefore, become the foundation for a lifetime of