Sibling Relationships of Handicapped Children: A Review of Conceptual and Methodological Issues

This paper reviews the literature in two areas of research on the social development of siblings. Specifically it compares and contrasts studies of sibling relationships of handicapped children with the wider literature on non-handicapped siblings. The focus is on the methodological and conceptual features which characterise research in each area, with a particular emphasis on identifying the unique contributions each can make to the advance of knowledge in developmental psychology. For the purpose of clarity in this review, the term “siblings” will refer to the non-handicapped brothers and sisters of a handicapped child, unless otherwise specified