Siblings

Your child gets diagnosed with Autism.  You immediately start looking for therapists.  You read everything you can get your hands on about Autism.  You desperately want to understand what it actually means.  You lay awake at night worrying about his/her future.  You eat, sleep, breathe Autism.  It takes over your whole world.

But wait!  What about his/her siblings?  They still need you as their parent too.

A child who lives with Autism has many, many challenges to overcome.  But I truly believe their siblings struggle in their own ways, as they are forced to deal with the family situation at a young age.  There is a lot of pressure to accept and understand that their brother/sister is acting a certain way because he/she has Autism.  What does having Autism even mean to a 4, 6 or 8 year old?

They see and feel their parents’ stress on top of their own anxiety over what’s happening with their sibling.

They may sense an unequal level of your time and attention toward their sibling, resulting in them feeling neglected or less-loved as the ‘non-favourite’.

They may feel sadness over not being able to engage with their sibling.

They may feel anxious because they are often the target of their sibling’s aggression.

They may worry about their sibling, knowing they have Autism.

Some resources to help explore this vital topic further include:

An interesting article about siblings (Please note that it is from 2012 so the CDC stats are not current)  Click here to see article

A story written by Natalie, who has a younger brother on the Autism Spectrum.  It has a wonderful ending and my wish is for all siblings to feel this way because it can be a tough life for a sibling  Click here to see story