Hindawi Publishing Corporation Autism Research and Treatment Volume 2012, Article ID 949586, 11 pages doi:10.1155/2012/949586 Research Article Experiences of Siblings of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders Maureen E. Angell, Hedda Meadan, and Julia B. Stoner Department of Special Education, Campus Box 5910, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-5910, USA Correspondence should be addressed to Maureen E. Angell, meangel@ilstu.edu Received 18 December 2011; Revised 17 January 2012; Accepted 30 January 2012 Academic Editor: Herbert Roeyers Copyright © 2012 Maureen E. Angell et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and iden- tify their self-reported support needs. We conducted in-person semi-structured interviews with 12 siblings aged 7 to 15 of children aged 6 to 15 with ASDs. Employing a qualitative collective case study research method, we conducted cross-case analyses to address our research questions. Three major themes emerged: (a) descriptions of the sibling subsystem (b) cohesion between and among the siblings, and (c) adaptability of the participant siblings to having family members with ASDs. Discussion of these ﬁndings and recommendations for future research contributes to the existing literature on siblings of children with disabilities. 1. Introduction Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of develop- mental disabilities characterized by atypical development in socialization, communication, and behavior [1]. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that more children are being diagnosed with ASDs than ever before. The most recent data reported by the CDC show that about one in every 88 children has ASD [2]. Many indivi- duals with ASDs have unique characteristics that could im- pact family members, including parents, siblings, and exten- ded family members [3], and, therefore, researchers have been exploring the experiences of family members when chil- dren with ASDs are involved (e.g., [4]). Family systems theory has several basic assumptions: (a) family characteristics are inputs into the family system, to which the family responds, and from which outputs (i.e., family functions such as aﬀection, daily care, etc.) are pro- duced; (b) the family is a whole system and is aﬀected by the relationships among family members, and (c) boundaries exist between family subsystems (i.e., parental, marital, sibl- ing, and extended family) and with the outside world [5]. Family member interaction occurs within and across family subsystems, has varying levels of cohesion (emotional bond- ing) and adaptability (ability to change in demand to stressful situations), is a dynamic process, and provides children with their ﬁrst interactions with others. Balanced levels of cohesion and adaptability are the most conducive to “healthy family functioning” [6, page 65]. For families with child- ren with ASDs, the sibling subsystem is of heightened impor- tance since the sibling relationship can be the ﬁrst and most intense peer relationship [7]. Typical sibling relationships change over time and pro- vide the siblings opportunities to experience sharing, com- panionship, rivalry, and other outcomes [8]. Some sibling pairs experience warm, supportive relationships, whereas others experience conﬂicts and isolation [9]. Some resear- chers have explored sibling relationships, adjustment, and outcomes when one sibling has an ASD (e.g., [10–16]). Meadan et al. [17] reviewed the literature related to the soc- ial, emotional, and behavioral adjustment of siblings of indi- viduals with ASDs. The authors reported mixed results on outcomes for and adjustment of typically developing siblings of individuals with ASDs. Researchers investigating this topic have reported that some children are positively aﬀected (e.g., have high levels of self-concept and social competence) by having siblings with ASDs or don’t experience or report on negative eﬀects, while other siblings experience negative eﬀects (e.g., feelings of loneliness, low levels of prosocial