A Model of Family and Child Functioning in Siblings of Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

The potential clinical needs of typically developing (TD) siblings of youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remain disputed. A total of 239 mothers of youth aged 6-17, including one youth with ASD (M = 11.14 years; simplex families) and at least one other youth (M = 11.74 years) completed online standardized measures of various familial factors and TD youth outcomes. Overall, only 6-23% of siblings were identified within the clinical range of emotional, behavioral, or social functioning. Both maternal depression and sibling relationship were identified as key pathways in predicting siblings' functioning within a good-fitting path analysis model. The current model is presented as a novel base for the development of future research and services for this unique population of children.

Group intervention for siblings and parents of children with chronic disorders (SIBS-RCT): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

“…Parents report about the child with ND with the well-validated Developmental Behaviour Checklist [ 20 ]. We have ethical approval to collect patient record information for the child with ND, from which we obtain a ND impairment score (i.e., diagnosis, clinician’s severity ratings, and number of clinic appointments); (2) parent mental health, because it is a documented predictor of sibling well-being [ 3 ]. It is measured with the well-documented Symptom Checklist-90 [ 21 ] and with the Beck Depression Inventory, for a more specific depression measure [ 22 ]; (3) family stress, due to the documented strain for families of children with ND.…”

“…Objective 2 is to identify those siblings who are most likely to benefit from the SIBS intervention by addressing research question 3: Which factors (i.e., ND impairment, parent mental health, family stress) predict outcomes of the SIBS intervention? Previous findings indicate higher ND impairment and poorer parent mental health will be associated with poorer sibling mental health [1,3]. However, there is limited knowledge upon which to base hypotheses about predictors of effects.…”

“…Chronic illness in children involves risk for reduced well-being among siblings [1]. The mechanisms behind this risk are associated with (1) the chronic illness itself (e.g., behavior problems), (2) siblings' lack of illness knowledge (e.g., misunderstandings), (3) poor parental mental health due to extra care responsibilities, and (4) poor family communication (e.g., less open and warm communication [2][3][4]).…”

Siblings of children with Williams syndrome: Correlates of psychosocial adjustment and sibling relationship quality

“…In particular, any negative impact on neurotypical siblings (hereafter, 'siblings') is small overall, with prevalence of clinically-significant emotional difficulties generally comparable to that of the general population (Hayden, Hastings, Totsika, & Langley, 2019;Rossiter & Sharpe, 2001;Tudor et al, 2018). Indeed, the experience of growing up with a child with developmental disabilities is associated in some studies with positive experiences and outcomes for many siblings (Cianfaglione, Hastings, Felce, Clarke, & Kerr, 2015;Macks & Reeves 2007;Verté, Roeyers, & Buysse, 2003).…”

The Scientific Study of Parents and Caregivers of Children with ASD: A Flourishing Field but Still Work to be Done

“…An issue one of the guest editors for this special issue can personally relate to with a daughter with autism currently entering adolescence and her three younger siblings. In this study Tudor et al (2017) present a model that includes ASD-, Family-and sibling-variables and lay out some future directions for research and clinical practice. As many other papers in this special issue, the Tudor et al study highlight how multiple factors interconnect and need to be taken into account to get a deeper understanding of developmental transaction processes and family dynamics.…”