Siblings of autistic children: their adjustment and performance at home and in school

Abstract

The research examined the adjustment of siblings of autistic children. The relationship between sex and family size of the siblings and the sibling's performance on achievement, self-concept, home behavior, and school behavior was examined. Six 2 x 2 analyses of variance were completed. Results indicated that there was little variance as a function of sex or family size. Overall the sibling's performance was not suggestive of needing special intervention. These results are discussed in terms of how they relate to previous findings and implications for clinical intervention and future research.