SUPPORTING SIBLINGS OF CHILDREN WITH ASD OUTLINE FOR THE TALK 3/5/2017

Transcription

1 SUPPORTING SIBLINGS OF CHILDREN WITH ASD Virginia Commonwealth Autism Center March 9 th 2017 OUTLINE FOR THE TALK Why are siblings important? Why might a parent need support for their Typically Developing (TD) child? Common questions from parents How to help as service providers Support group at VT Parents leave too early and husbands and wives come too late. Our siblings are the only ones who know us our whole lives. -Jeffrey Kluger, The Science of Siblings Time Magazine 1

2 WHY ARE SIBLINGS IMPORTANT? Sibling relationships are typically the longest-lasting relationships in an individual s life Stresses / unique demands After parents gone, sibling becomes caretaker 73% of the time (Gidden, 2007) SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS Relationships formed with a sibling have a long and enduring impact on later life (Kim et al., 2007) Sibling relationship quality is related to children s mental health (Buist, Deković, & Prinzie, 2013) WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF HAVING A SIBLING WITH ASD? More likely to accept differences More loyal Tolerant of different situations Proud of their siblings, especially when they work hard to overcome a challenge 2

3 WHY MIGHT A PARENT REACH OUT FOR SUPPORT? DIFFICULTIES IN SIBLING RELATIONSHIP Negative feelings Grief Inadequacy Anger Guilt Vulnerability Confusion DIFFICULTIES IN SIBLING RELATIONSHIP Siblings of ASD often: Have increased responsibility in the home Receive less attention from their parent compared to the sibling with ASD 3

4 DIFFICULTIES FOR SIBLINGS Stressors for Sibs More commonly affected with: psychiatric neurodevelopmental disorders (Jokiranta-Olkoniemi et al., 2016) COMMON QUESTIONS FROM PARENTS ABOUT SIBLINGS EXPLAINING ASD TO MY TYPICALLY DEVELOPING CHILD 4

5 WHY EXPLAIN ASD TO MY TYPICALLY DEVELOPING CHILD? Increase understanding and empathy for sib Train example Gives sibs a platform to explain ASD to peers Library example WHEN SHOULD I TELL THEM ABOUT ASD? There is no perfect time Best practice? Start early and revisit often Especially before they are in the same school WHAT SHOULD I TELL MY CHILD ABOUT ASD? What do siblings wish they d known about their brother or sister with ASD? Autism is not contagious The way he acted was not my fault, I thought I was doing things to cause his behaviors Some of the things my brother does, he doesn t do on purpose My brother is not the only one who has autism 5

6 HOW DO I EXPLAIN ASD TO MY YOUNG CHILD? Ability-based and concrete examples: You brother learns differently and needs more help than we do Your sister s autism means she can t talk and has trouble playing like you do, but she loves you vey much Compare unusual autism behaviors to siblings thoughts and feelings When your sister hand flaps it is because she is excited, and when you re excited you tell me how excited you are HOW DO I EXPLAIN ASD TO MY OLDER CHILD? Explain that it is a neurodevelopmental disorder (E.g., sibling faces a number of challenges in areas such as: behavior, communication, and forming social relationships) Spectrum describes the range of abilities and difficulties someone with ASD has People with ASD express how they re feeling differently Acknowledge the emotions that the unaffected sibling likely feels and help them find coping strategies ENHANCING SIB RELATIONSHIPS 6

7 HOW DO I HELP MY CHILD COPE? Help them: Come up with a way to explain autism to their friends Talk about how everyone has these feelings (e.g., embarrassment) HOW DO I HELP MY CHILD COPE? Help them: Put it into perspective (e.g., how will this feel a week later? Remember good times they have had with their sibling COPING WITH AGGRESSION How do I help my child cope with their sibling s sometimes aggressive behaviors? It s important to address concerns: Try a combination of explanations, comfort, and prevention plans Explain that there can be many reasons for aggression (e.g., pain, sensory overload, and/or frustration) Note for service providers: With aggressive behaviors be aware of your boundaries as a therapist and resources in your area for potential referrals 7

8 HOW DO I HELP MY CHILDREN GET ALONG? Encourage your child without ASD to talk about things their sibling is interested in E.g., play videogames, watch movies It can be helpful to introduce your child without ASD to other siblings This can reduce isolation and increase understanding HOW TO HELP AS SERVICE PROVIDERS Help parents explain ASD to their TD child Give parents tools to promote empathy and understanding between sibs Provide referrals and resources Encourage parents to spend special time with their TD child Helping plan for the future Who will take care of the child with ASD? QUESTION SO FAR? 8

9 ACTIVITY TIME! ACTIVITY TIME! 9

10 SUPPORT GROUP AT VT GROUP STRUCTURE 10 week support group, 60 minutes 3 main content areas Sibling and family relationship building components Psychoeducation for understanding autism Psychosocial adjustment Lots of fun activities (and snacks!) SIBLING & FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS that everyone can do something special 10

11 UNDERSTANDING AUTISM Part of Autism Not Part of Autism PSYCHOSOCIAL OBJECTIVES We hypothesized that as a result of participating in the support group, Sibs would: 1. Develop a more positive relationship with their sibling with ASD 2. Show a decrease in internalizing problems (e.g., depression and anxiety) 3. Gain increased understanding of ASD 11

12 RESULTS: SIBLING RELATIONSHIP Pre- Group Mean (SD) Post- Group Mean (SD) t statistic p value Cohen s d Companionship 2.1 (1.0) 2.4 (0.8) Intimacy 0.9 (0.9) 1.1 (0.9) Antagonism 2.1 (0.8) 1.8 (0.9) Dominance by sibling Maternal Partiality 1.9 (0.6) 1.7 (0.9) (0.5) 2.2 (0.9) Sibling relationship Questionnaire (Furman & Burhmeister, 1985) CONCLUSIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS Sibling relationships Parents reported improvements in the sibling relationship, including: Increased companionship and intimacy between sibling Decreased fighting and bossiness by the TD Increased attention to TD by parent Improved relationships may last into the future ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Julie Wolf John Richey Angela Scarpa Tyler Hassefeldt Lauren Delk Reina Factor Andrea Trubanova Virginia Tech Center for Autism Research Participants and families! Funding Sources Organization for Autism Research Graduate Student Grant Competition (MC) Hulick Serving Spirit Competition (MC) 12

13 THANK YOU! Thanks for your time! Contact information: Ashley Muskett RESOURCES To explain ASD: To engage with sibling: For aggression: Kit for Kids: Contact OAR: Family Support ToolKits: SibShops 13