ASD and sibling relationships

Impairments associated with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have led to concerns that their typically developing brothers and sisters will be adversely affected. A literature review was conducted to examine sibling relationship quality for children and young people with a brother or sister with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A systematic review of the literature yielded ten studies. A number of methodological issues were highlighted, thus there were few studies from which to draw firm conclusions regarding affective and interactive -' . sibling relationship quality and ASD. The review highlights the need for an operational definition of relationship quality, and the development of methodology for future research. The empirical study considered the perceptions and experiences of eight parents regarding their children's sibling relationships where one child had received a diagnosis of ASD. A wealth of information was derived from semi-structured interviews and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Five main themes were identified: i) Perceptions of closeness, ii) Perceptions of change, iii) Perceptions of responsibility, iv) Impact of ASD, and v) Perceptions of children's gains from the relationship. The findings provide some insight into parents' views of sibling relationship quality from the perspective ofthe child with ASD, as well as their children's overall sibling relationship quality, which may be important in informing further research projects. Implications for practice include an awareness of issues raised by families when working systemically. Future research and theory development and implications for clinical practice are considered in the final section of this thesis. 2EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo