Development of the relationship of adult intact individuals with siblings with autism spectrum disorder

The diploma thesis aims to map the lived reality of adult intact siblings of people with autism spectrum disorders in the Czech Republic. The theoretical part provides an insight into the current knowledge in the field of autism spectrum disorders and the manifestations thereof, sibling relationships and the impact of autism spectrum disorders on the family in general, and with respect to intact siblings, in particular. In the empirical part I focus on the description and analysis of qualitative research involving five intact siblings of people with autism spectrum disorders aged 28-29. For the purposes of the research, a semi-structured interview had been chosen, subsequently analyzed and interpreted. The interview topics concerned the past and present relationship of the informants to their siblings with ASD, ideas about their common future, the personality of an intact sibling or certain life choices of the informants. The results of the diploma thesis showed an interesting picture of the development of the sibling relationships with people with ASD, which are strongly affected by the nature of the disorder. The research confirmed a severe amount of stress in intact siblings of people with ASD, which stems from many different areas of their living together. It also turned out that living with..