Siblings of Children With Autism: A Guide for Familes (Topics in Autism)

Since 1994, SIBLINGS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM has been helping parents meet the needs of siblings in families of children with autism. During many years in clinical practice, the authors have worked with hundreds of families and seen firsthand how siblings can become overshadowed by the intensive focus on a child with autism. This common occurrence is only one of the many sibling issues that parents and professionals should not only be sensitive to, but ready to address.

Now in a brand new and expanded edition, SIBLINGS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM explores the basics of sibling relationships and the complexities that surface in families of children with autism. Chapters cover how to explain autism to siblings, how to get siblings to share their feelings and concerns, how to master the family balancing act, and how to foster play between siblings. New chapters have been added concerning what siblings actually believe or understand about autism at different ages and how autism continues to impact adult sibling relationships, careers, and caregiver roles. Throughout the book, there are stories about individual families, giving readers points of comparison and helpful insights along the way.

The direct challenges of raising a child with autism are well known to parents. But it is important for parents to also see autism through the eyes of their other children. For families looking for guidance on sibling issues and autism, the new edition addresses a multitude of their concerns and questions, and also offers advice on how to seek support from a family therapist or other professional when more intensive help is needed.

Sandra L. Harris, Ph.D., is a Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and the Department of Psychology at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She is the Director of the Division of Research and Training at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers.

Beth A. Glasberg, Ph.D., is Research Assistant Professor and Assistant Director of the Division of Research and Training at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and two-time recipient of The Lebec Prize for Research in Autism.