8 methodology) generalization of the ﬁndings to other siblings of children with ASDs is limited. We have organized our dis- cussion to address our research questions. 4.1. What is the Experience and Impact of Having a Sibling with an ASD from the Perspective of a Typically Developing Child? Recent research and reviews of literature on siblings’ perspectives and their relationships within families that in- clude children with disabilities have indicated that various contextual factors such as knowledge about the children’s dis- abilities or conditions (e.g., [36–38]) and families’ coping styles and resources (e.g., [23, 39–41]) may inﬂuence the experience of living with a sibling with an ASD. The present study conﬁrms the ﬁndings of Petalas et al. [23] whose interviews with eight typically developing siblings in middle childhood who had brothers with ASDs yielded several themes of both positive and negative valence consistent with ours: a general acceptance of the siblings with ASDs (e.g., feelings of pride and appreciation for siblings with ASDs), identiﬁcation (to varying extents) of positive aspects of having brothers or sisters with ASDs, social isola- tion, the need to change their behavior to cope with sib- lings’ idiosyncratic behaviors, reduced recreational time with families, and derivation of social support from a variety of sources. In addition, our participant siblings also described their sibling subsystems in relation to their cohesion and adaptability to their siblings with ASDs. Some researchers have found that sibling cohesion is negatively aﬀected by the presence of children with disabil- ities in families [9, 20, 42], and some have recently reported positive sibling cohesion (e.g., [23]). Other researchers have published mixed reports on sibling cohesion (e.g., [43–45]). Our current data support mixed ﬁndings. On a positive note, our interviewees told us that that they infrequently quarreled with their siblings, that they enjoyed mutual activities, and that they were friends with their siblings. However, our ﬁndings also conﬁrm some of the negative reports on sibling relationships that include children with disabilities. Negative comments of our sibling participants focused on their embarrassment or frustration with their siblings’ aggressive or socially inappropriate behavior. Our younger participants (Cloe, age 7, Morris, age 7, Hannah, age 8, and James, age 8) who were below the age of 10 described both negative and positive feelings but it was our older participants who provided more complex des- criptions of their feelings and indicated that they were in- creasingly concerned with social acceptance for their siblings with ASDs and their own sense of responsibility regarding safety and care. Our ﬁndings conﬁrmed those of Benderix and Sivberg [46], Mascha and Boucher [16], and Ross and Cuskelly [47] whose participants described the negative eﬀects of being exposed to their siblings’ sometimes fright- ening aggressive behavior. We also found siblings expressing feelings of embarrassment, frustration and anger as did the siblings in Petalas et al.’s [23] study. Our ﬁndings conﬁrm those of Stalker and Connors [48] who found higher levels of empathy and patience in siblings of individuals with disabilities. Our sibling interviewees also expressed a positive outlook on their family conditions and Autism Research and Treatment the futures of their brothers and sisters with ASDs. These comments appeared in participant responses regardless of their age, and many of our participants oﬀered positive com- ments about their siblings after they had described negative incidents or attributes. Benderix and Sivberg [46] conducted interviews with 14 siblings (aged 10-11) of children with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities or autism about their family experi- ences. Their study yielded seven thematic categories related to the siblings’ feelings about their family experiences. Diﬀerent contextual factors inﬂuenced the siblings in our current study yet our ﬁndings related to our participant siblings’ feel- ings (e.g., pride in the accomplishments of their siblings with ASDs, a heightened sense of responsibility for their siblings, concerns about their siblings’ social acceptance and safety, frustration, and embarrassment in some social situations) are similar to Benderix and Sivberg’s ﬁndings. However, our participant siblings’ brothers and sisters all had ASDs; our sample did not include siblings of children with intellectual disabilities. Unlike Benderix and Sivberg’s participants, our intervie- wees did not face the impending placement of their siblings into group homes; however, they did share similar feelings of unsafety and anxiety when their siblings manifested aggres- sive behavior. Our research also extends Benderix and Sivberg’s research by yielding data on siblings’ adaptability through the use of coping strategies and employing tech- niques with their brothers and sisters with ASDs. 4.2. What Type of Support Do Siblings of Individuals with ASDs Perceive They Need? The answer to this research ques- tion is relatively simple; our participants wanted time for themselves when situations were stressful, and they beneﬁt- ted from talking with others who understood their situation, educating others about ASDs, and implementing techni- ques to assist their siblings with ASDs. This study extends the limited research (e.g., [23, 47, 49]) on the adaptability of chil- dren living with siblings who have ASDs by identifying cop- ing strategies. Two types of coping strategies are described in the literature: problem-focused coping strategies and emotion-focused coping strategies. Using problem-focused strategies, a person attempts to solve a problem or change the situation, whereas when using emotion-focused strategies a person attempts to manage or regulate emotional states pro- duced by the stressor [50]. Our participants described both emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies. The coping strategies that our younger participants, below the age of 10, identiﬁed were focused on removing them- selves from their siblings to defuse potentially conﬂictual situations. As our participants aged, they described their cop- ing strategies with more complexity. Their coping strategies often involved seeking social support which is one of the ﬁve coping strategies that McCubbin et al. [51] identiﬁed in their theoretical framework on resilience. As with Petalas et al.’s [23] sample, our sibling partici- pants adapted by eliciting support from various sources, for example, online support groups and chatting in person or