EI Families With Siblings
This topical guide will introduce you to important books, videos, and information resources available from the EI Clearinghouse and other sources. Contact us via online form or by phone (1-877-275-3227) to request a resource listed below (or ask your local public librarian). Note that some videos may be viewed online, and journal titles will take you to the publisher’s homepage.
Table of Contents
EIC Resources
Books
This interactive workbook introduces the experience of autism in simple language that focuses on understanding and supporting a sibling on the spectrum.
This book is packed with simple, highly effective suggestions for strengthening critical skills during daily routines, from dressing in the morning to getting ready for bed.
This humorous, perceptive snapshot of sibling love is perfect for those who may need a bit of convincing what fun little siblings can be!
Effective early intervention doesn’t stop when the provider leaves the family’s home. Targeting 80 skills in 6 key developmental domains for children birth to three, this reader-friendly guide gives professionals dozens of ready-to-use ideas for helping families and caregivers embed learning opportunities in their everyday routines.
This book, written from a child’s perspective, shows how one sibling learns how to understand and help her sister live a happier life.
This book is designed to help parents focus not on what could have been but instead on what can be, so that they, their children, and the grandparents thrive as individuals and as a family. The authors share valuable information for any family with children who have a physical disability, from any cause.
This book helps shine some light on the difficulties and the joy siblings of children with special needs experience every day.
This book is essential reading for children and teenagers with a sibling on the autistic spectrum, and for parents wishing to understand how autism in the family will affect their neurotypical child.
Despite their many differences, the collection of stories in this book show that certain things are common to the “sibling experience”: the emotional terrain of looking on or being overlooked; the confusion of accommodating resentment, love, and helplessness; and above all the yearning to connect across neurological difference.
In this book, children and young people explain in their own words what it is like to live with their brothers and sisters, and talk about their feelings of love and frustration, joy and sadness. Full of tips and advice to help siblings cope with their feelings and other issues, this book also provides clear explanations of medical words and different disabilities.
This book, written in two perspectives, tells of a girl’s educational journey and her transition from college into adulthood. Teachers, parents, and counselors can use this book as a guide on the journey to make spaces more welcoming and more supportive.
With a focus on how families and professionals can collaborate effectively so that infants and toddlers learn, grow, and thrive, this book reflects research and best-practices in the field of early intervention. The book includes a chapter on assessment and planning outlining how parents and professionals can work together throughout the process.
This book takes big ideas about siblings and turns them into smart, accessible writing that will help anyone understand the importance of siblings in our lives.
Siblings of special-needs children discuss hopes, fears, frustrations, resentment, and triumphs regarding their life with their siblings.
This book is a comprehensive guide for individuals who have siblings with special needs, the feelings that this sibling relationship fosters, and actionable behaviors and resources that will assist in the successful transition from sibling to eventual caregiver.
Videos and Media
Siblings of kids who have autism have unique perspectives on Autistic Spectrum Disorder. These wise siblings ages four to eighteen tell us about their frustration, their pain, and their growth to acceptance and their exceptional loyalty to their siblings.
This video Contains four programs for siblings of children on the autism spectrum and their parents. Each program covers a range of autistic challenges and strengths and describes techniques siblings can use to get along and support each other.
Organizations
No resources have been added to this section yet. However, new resources are added frequently!Articles
This study investigated the perceptions of families regarding the inclusion of siblings of children with disabilities by early intervention providers.
The sibling relationship may be the first and most natural environment for children with
disabilities to learn certain skills. Therefore, using siblings as social interventionists of children with disabilities should be recognized as a potentially effective approach among various social skills interventions.
Web Resources
This blog post, excerpted and adapted from the book Sibshops: Workshops for Siblings of Children with Special Needs, provides recommendations from real-life brothers and sisters to help you understand and meet the needs of siblings.
This article provides five ideas to help children handle the challenges that come with having a sibling with special needs.
This page helps parents to understand what your typically developing child or teen might be thinking and feeling when their sibling has a disability.
This page discusses the importance of sibling relationships and the impact of a child’s disability on his or her siblings.