The Quality of Life of Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Report‪)‬

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social interactions, impairments in verbal and nonverbal communication, and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). These typical impairments and the complexity and unpredictability of ASD place the family at greater risk for stress and psychological difficulties (Macks & Reeve, 2007). Parents of children with ASD not only report increased levels of stress and impaired family functioning but also describe parenting more often as an emotionally burdensome experience (Hastings, 2007; Petalas, Hastings, Nash, Lloyd, & Dowey, 2009; Rao & Beidel, 2009). Over at least the past 5 decades researchers have tried to describe, to define, and to explain how siblings adjust to a brother's or sister's disability (Benson & Karlof, 2008; Kaminsky & Dewey, 2002; Rivers & Stoneman, 2008; Verte, Roeyers, & Buysse, 2003). Because of the unique characteristics of ASD one might assume that there is a difference between the effects of ASD and other disabilities on the sibling relationship and on the social, behavioral, and psychological adjustment of these siblings. However, findings regarding the adjustment of siblings of children with ASD, when compared with the adjustment of siblings of children with another type of disability, have been mixed and inconsistent. Kaminsky and Dewey (2001) found that siblings of children with ASD reported lower levels of intimacy, prosocial behavior, and nurturance by their brother or sister with ASD compared to siblings of children with Down's syndrome and to typically developing children. Macks and Reeve (2007) suggested that demographic characteristics such as sex, family size, socioeconomic status, and birth order were more likely to impact the sibling of a child with ASD than siblings of typically developing children. On the other hand, Hastings (2007) and Pilowsky, Yirmiya, Doppelt, Gross-Tur, and Shalev (2004) failed to find significant differences in the behavioral, social, and emotional adjustment of siblings of children with ASD and siblings of children with other diagnoses.