What Do Brothers and Sisters Think? An Investigation of Expectations of Siblings with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Once rare disorders, the diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more prevalent today than ever before. In the year 2000, the American Psychiatric Association estimated that the prevalence rate of ASDs was approximately 1 person in 2,000 (APA, 2000). Current statistics from the Center for Disease Control’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network estimates that ASDs are found in 1 in 150 children across the United States (CDC, 2007). ASDs transcend all ethnic and socioeconomic groups, though affecting more boys than girls. Due to these increasing numbers of families confronting issues associated with raising a child with an ASD, there is an increasing number of typically-developing siblings who are affected by ASDs. Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder that has a major impact on the family unit (Kaminsky & Dewey, 2002). Research indicates that having a child with a disability in the family leads to difficult role changes and adjustments for the family, specifically for siblings (Cuskelly, Chant, Hayes, 1998). Research has heightened the concern for the adjustment and coping abilities of sibling of children with autism (Hastings, 2003).