A Sibling Support Group for Brothers and Sisters of Children with Autism

The present study examined the effectiveness of a sibling support group for siblings of children with autism. Participants were 26 siblings of children with autism and related disorders between the ages 6 to 16 who completed the group intervention. Questionnaires examining siblings' self-concepts, their knowledge of autism, and their coping/adjustment with a variety of problems were administered before the first group session (pre-test) and again after the last group session (post-test). Results indicated that the siblings' self-concepts and knowledge of autism improved significantly from the beginning to the end of the sibling support group. These findings suggest that the sibling support group was, in part, successful in meeting the stated goals. Clinical implications are discussed and directions for future research are presented. Clinicians and researchers in the field of autism and developmental disabilities (DD) have typically assumed that the family is affected in various ways (mainly negatively) as they face challenges unique to living with a child with DD. This assumption has translated primarily into professionals focusing on particular impact on parents. However, some attention has also been paid to the "healthy" siblings in a family, stemming from the belief that these siblings experience significant stressors such as decreases in parental attention, increases in child-care and household responsibilities, pressures to achieve, and role tension (Hannah & Midlarsky, 1985; Lobato, 1983; McHale & Gamble, 1989; McHale, Simeonsson, & Sloan, 1984; Meyer & Vadasy, 1994; Seligman, 1983). Sibling support groups were developed and implemented by clinicians in an attempt to address some of the unique psychosocial needs of siblings of children with DD. Siblings of children with autism, in particular, are believed to confront unique challenges in addition to those described above. These include encountering negative reactions from the public due to the stereotypical, repetitive, and unpredictable behaviour of the child with autism who appears physically normal, as well as having to cope with the skill deficits and difficult behaviours of the child with autism (Morgan, 1988; Roeyers & Mycke, 1995). Moreover, several studies have reported greater emotional and/or behavioural problems in siblings of children with autism in comparison to siblings of children with another disability or no disability (Bagenholm & Gillberg, 1991; Fisman et al., 1996; Gold, 1993; Rodrigue, Geffken, & Morgan, 1993). Consequently, sibling support groups for siblings of children with autism may be particularly needed and valuable. The sibling support groups reported in the clinical literature share several similarities. Many of the goals of these groups include providing information on disabilities to improve siblings' understanding, discussing problems encountered and adaptive ways of coping, and encouraging siblings to express their feelings about having a brother/sister with a disability. In these groups, group leader(s) typically guide the discussion, activities are structured, a selection of movie clips and books are used to illustrate specific points, and role-playing is used as a way to assist in problem solving (Chinitz, 1981; Howlin & Yates, 1990-1991; Lobato, 1985; Summers, Bridge, & Summers, 1991). However, there are many differences among the sibling support groups as well. These include group composition, with some studies including a wide range of disabilities (Chinitz, 1981; Lobato, 1985; Lobato & Kao, 2002) and others focusing on siblings of children with one particular disability such as autism (Howlin & Yates, 1990-1991). Age of the siblings is also variable, with some focusing on preschoolers (Lobato, 1985) and some including a wide age range (Chinitz, 1981). There are also differences in group structure and organization, such as the number of sessions, ranging from one day (Howlin & Yates, 1990-1991) to eight sessions (Chinitz, 1981). A more recent study by Lobato and Kao (2002) also included a parent group that ran concurrently with the sibling group, with topics corresponding to those of the sibling group. Many clinicians and service providers working with children with DD and their families tend to offer such group interventions, assuming that sibling groups may be helpful, and some have described their programs (Ferrari, SMITH AND PERRY 78