engleski

Growing up with Brother Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Adult Siblings’ Perspective

The relationship between siblings is often the longest lasting relationship within individual’s life (Cicirelli, 1995). This relationship is especially important for persons with developmental difficulties, since their siblings are usually those who undertake the role of caregivers, after parents are no longer available to do so. However, recent research suggest how establishing a close relationship with a sibling diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be considerably more challenging, comparing to siblings with other developmental difficulties (see Tomeny et.al., 2017. for a review). Although siblings of individuals diagnosed with ASD have received a certain attention in the last decade worldwide, this area is still under-researched in Croatia, and has an insufficient place in interventions aimed at helping families with children diagnosed with ASD. The aim of this study was to explore siblings’ experiences of living with a brother with ASD and their perceptions of received and needed support. The semi-structured interviews with 6 adult siblings of individuals with ASD were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. Generally, most of the interviewed individuals show a relatively high level of acceptance and affection towards their brother and feel used to brother’s condition. Although they mentioned some positive experiences and outcomes, they reported on many difficult aspects of growing up with their brother on the autism spectrum. Nevertheless, none of them received any professionals’ support during their growing up, and their opinions about the potential usefulness of programmes targeted at siblings are divided. The results will be discussed in terms of their practical implications.

sibling relationships, autism spectrum disorder, qualitative study

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