Perceptions of siblings with autism and relationships with them: European American and Asian American siblings draw and tell

Abstract

Background This study examined typically developing children's perceptions of their siblings with autism and their relationships with them in a European American and an Asian American family.

Method Data were drawn from interviews with the siblings using the draw-and-tell technique and participant observation in the homes of the 2 families.

Results and Conclusions Results indicate that the 2 typically developing children differed in their perceptions of their siblings with autism and their relationship with them. Results also suggest that parent involvement in providing their children with adequate knowledge about autism and its effects on their siblings with autism plays an important role in children developing a nurturing relationship with their siblings with autism.

Keywords:

• perception of autism
• sibling relationship
• diversity

Acknowledgements

This study is partially supported by the Advocates for the Rights of Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (ARC) of Washington. We would like to thank Loan Nguyen for her assistance in the data collection with the Vietnamese family in this study. We are grateful to the two families who participated in this research.