Growing up with autism: the educational impact on neurotypical siblings

A substantial amount of research has focused on the psychological, social, and behavioral impacts of having a sibling with autism on the neurotypical sibling. However, there is a lack of research that focuses on the educational or academic effects that the typically developing sibling may experience as a result of increased responsibility, varying family dynamics, and psychological functioning. This pilot study includes 14 high school students who have a sibling with an autism spectrum diagnosis, and 25 high school students who have a sibling who does not have autism. This study examines three hypotheses, all related to the academic domain of individuals of siblings with autism: (1) siblings of children with autism spend less time on school-related activities (e.g. homework, studying, extracurricular activities) when compared to same-aged peers who do not have a sibling with autism, (2) siblings of children with autism receive less support from their parents or guardians on school-related activities, and (3) siblings of children with autism receive lower grades than students who do not have siblings with autism, and grade point average (GPA) will be predicted by amount of time spent on homework and amount of support received from parents or guardians. Hypothesis 1 and 2 received partial support. (1) Siblings with autism reported participating in fewer extracurricular activities than their peer counterparts who did not have a sibling with autism. (2) High school students with siblings with autism reported needing less help on their homework, and accordingly, receiving less help on their homework from their parents. High school students with siblings with autism reported that their sibling receives more attention from their parents and that they themselves spend less one-on-one time with their sibling when compared to students with typically developing siblings. (3) There was no significant difference found between the two groups of students’ GPAs. Nevertheless, GPA was significantly related to the number of hours spent on studying. An additional finding suggested that students with siblings with autism reported that school was less important to them.Psy. D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Erin Leigh Herma