Family Dynamics Sibling Support for Autism

Has your sibling recently been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder?

For many families, this is seen as a blessing, as it seeks to explain a lot of behaviors that have led to them seeking professional help. However, this is just the beginning of your journey together post-diagnosis, which will come with its own challenges.

So, if you are a sibling of someone who has an autism diagnosis, how can you support them and your family? Read on for some top tips.

Learn About Autism

The first thing to note is that no two children with autism are the same. There are some similarities, in behaviors, moods, etc, but generally speaking, there is no ‘one shoe fits all’ in autism, except in the more extreme cases. 

Therefore, try to learn as much as you can about autism spectrum disorder, so you can see why your sibling does what they do. This can be done via websites, the official autism app, and videos online. Remember, this will help you be more empathetic towards your sibling and help you understand why they may engage in some behaviors, as well as teach you how to manage them.

Try To Nurture Them

This will depend greatly on your sibling and their age, but try to nurture them. This may involve engaging in activities that they enjoy, such as football, painting, or gardening. If they are much younger, try playing with them with their favorite toys. This will help to reduce their stress levels around social situations and will also help you to bond with them. Remember, you need to take this at a pace that they are happy with, to avoid meltdowns.

Support Your Parents

It is a somewhat heartbreaking scenario that many siblings of children who have special needs become resentful of their parents. After all, they may be spending a lot of time ensuring that your sibling is happy and secure, which can make it feel like you are being ignored. Try, as much as appropriate, to support your parents. If you can babysit your sibling with ASD, do so sometimes, so your parents can go out and decompress. 

Appreciate Them

Yes, there may be a few times in your life when your sibling who has a diagnosis of ASD is a bit, well, blunt, and you may feel embarrassed by them. This is why it is so important to understand ASD as much as you can, so you can see why they act the way that they do.

However, you can and should appreciate them. Not necessarily for when and if they behave poorly, but for who they are. When you have a sibling who has ASD, they will be more likely to notice that you appreciate them and will feel more comfortable in themselves.

Manage Your Emotions

Depending on where your sibling is on the autism spectrum, their behaviors may be more or less challenging. This can make it difficult to manage difficult moments that you and other family members may have with them, which, if left for long enough, can harbor resentment. So, try to manage your emotions. There are many support groups for family members of people with ASD, and if you find that you are struggling to manage, it is well worth looking into counseling or therapy.

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