From Library Journal
This first title in a new series meets the needs of parents who inevitably ask how autism affects the entire family. Given that brothers and sisters react differently to siblings with autism, depending on many factors such as birth order and age, this book will help the parents explain autism to them. It will also help siblings share their thoughts and feelings about how their family is different and their role concerning the autistic child. Much practical advice on how children can share time together is also offered. With clear and simple presentation directed at the average lay reader, Harris (dean, psychology, Rutgers Univ.; executive director, Douglas Developmental Center) has done an excellent job of offering guidance to the whole family of the autistic child. Recommended for public libraries.Marguerite Mroz, Baltimore Cty. P.L.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
Since 1994, SIBLINGS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM has been helping parents meet the needs of siblings in families of children with autism. During many years in clinical practice, the authors have worked with hundreds of families and seen firsthand how siblings can become overshadowed by the intensive focus on a child with autism. This common occurrence is only one of the many sibling issues that parents and professionals should not only be sensitive to, but ready to address. Now in a brand new and expanded edition, SIBLINGS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM explores the basics of sibling relationships and the complexities that surface in families of children with autism. Chapters cover how to explain autism to siblings, how to get siblings to share their feelings and concerns, how to master the family balancing act, and how to foster play between siblings. New chapters have been added concerning what siblings actually believe or understand about autism at different ages and how autism continues to impact adult sibling relationships, careers, and caregiver roles. Throughout the book, there are stories about individual families, giving readers points of comparison and helpful insights along the way. The direct challenges of raising a child with autism are well known to parents. But it is important for parents to also see autism through the eyes of their other children. For families looking for guidance on sibling issues and autism, the new edition addresses a multitude of their concerns and questions, and also offers advice on how to seek support from a family therapist or other professional when more intensive help is needed.


From the Publisher
A Review.... "Along with meeting the many challenges presented by raising a child with autism, caregivers often find themselves working hard to help their other children adjust to the unique family situation. Parents and other caregivers frequently ask themselves, other parents, and professionals questions such as: 'When do I tell Jim's siblings that he has autism?' or 'How do I explain Heather's unusual behaviors to her brothers?' Siblings of Children with Autism: A Guide for Families, written by psychologist Sandra Harris, helps fill a gap in the resource literature by concentrating specifically on sibling needs and concerns. As one of the parents quoted in this helpful and pragmatic book states, 'We are just ordinary people in very extraordinary situations' (p.94). Indeed, much of the value of Harris's book lies in its ability to explore and elucidate these extraordinary situations in a nonjudgmental, practical, and ordinary manner. The book's subtitle, A Guide for Families, clearly indicates the author's intended audience. Drawing on years of clinical experience the author provides the reader with both specific information and recommendations for effective action. Siblings of Children with Autism maintains an attitude of deep respect for families. Commentary and stories from parents and siblings are integrated throughout the book. The author writes in clear prose and avoids jargon without talking down to her readers. True to the title and aim of the book, Harris keeps the focus on siblings and avoids the temptation to offer extensive ideas about how to best educate children with autism. Harris covers an impressive range of topics in this relatively brief book: explaining autism to siblings, fostering sibling relationships, enhancing communication, and balancing multiple family needs. Parents, who read Harris's book between many family demands, will be rewarded by her accessible, applicable, and practical recommendations for helping all of their children adjust successfully to their family's extraordinary situation. Harris does not minimize the sometimes difficult and painful aspects of living with a person with autism. Yet she writes with a tone that both empowers and reassures. For instance, she acknowledges that the experience of discrimination toward a child with autism can constitute 'one of life's brutal moments' for both parents and siblings (p.29). Yet she refrains from moralizing or blaming. Instead, Harris identifies issues and concerns in a straightforward manner and provides parents with proactive ways of coping with difficult situations. Parents of young children are apt to find themselves supported rather than overwhelmed by the author's recommendations and reminder that 'you have an entire childhood in which to help your child learn what he needs to know' (p.31). Although the primary goal of providing families with a usable guide is achieved admirably, scientifically minded parents and professionals may find themselves wanting more empirical evidence to support the presented information. For example, the author periodically outlines personal concerns and anxieties that siblings are likely to experience, such as, the fear that one can 'catch' autism. However, the book typically does not present sufficient information for the reader to estimate the likelihood that these issues will have a significant impact on sibling development if not addressed. At times, the reader may be unable to determine whether information is based on the author's extensive clinical experience or empirical research. When Harris does cite applicable research, especially with regard to her own work on facilitating play between siblings, her accounts are relevant and clear. Finally, Harris describes how siblings' responses, understanding, and coping skills change across the life-span. By taking this developmental approach, she challenges her reader to consider how 'ordinary' child development (e.g., the 9-12-year-old's increasing social awareness and need to be accepted by peers) interacts with the 'extraordinary' situation the child experiences (e.g., having one's sibling with autism throw a tantrum in front of one's friends). This framework encourages flexibility in thinking and provides caregivers with ways to interpret a sibling's behavior that are apt to prompt effective responding. Siblings of Children with Autism is indeed a guide for families. Clearly written, the book clarifies the impact of normal growth and development on a sibling's ability to understand and respond to a child with autism. Both benefits and challenges to growing up with such a sibling are identified, as are effective ways for parents to respond. This is a book that parents are likely to keep at hand and reread over the years as their children mature. Professionals will find the book a valuable resource that they can recommend with confidence to families. Finally, older siblings of children with autism may find, to their interest and sometimes relief, their own experiences captured in the pages of this book." --Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Vol. 26, No. 6, 1996


About the Author
Sandra L. Harris, Ph.D., is a Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and the Department of Psychology at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She is the Director of the Division of Research and Training at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers. Beth A. Glasberg, Ph.D., is Research Assistant Professor and Assistant Director of the Division of Research and Training at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and two-time recipient of The Lebec Prize for Research in Autism.


Excerpted from Siblings of Children With Autism: A Guide for Familes (Topics in Autism) by Sandra L. Harris, Beth A. Glasberg. Copyright © 2003. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
From Chapter 2, He Doesn't Know What Angels Are: Autism Viewed Through Children's Eyes What Did They Talk About? Although the primary focus of this study was to assess how children think about autism at different ages rather than what they think about autism at different ages, a brief examination of the content of their responses confirmed our suspicions that what parents share and what children grasp from an interaction may be quite different. The children we talked to often demonstrated either a lack of information or misinformation about autism. For example, approximately one out of every five children claimed that they had never heard the word "autism." This included almost half of the five- through six-year olds, about a fifth of seven- through ten-year–olds, and one of eleven- through seventeen-year-olds. Because almost every one of the parents had predicted that their child would be familiar with this word, it is likely that the term had been mentioned by parents and forgotten by the child. Similarly, siblings demonstrated a surprising degree of misinformation. Approximately a quarter of the children either thought that autism could be contagious, or were not sure whether or not it could be contagious. While almost all of the children in the oldest age group were aware that autism could not be "caught," only about half of the seven- through ten-year-olds shared this knowledge. A question then arises as to whether these children believe that they might catch autism from their sibling. The following excerpt from an interview with an eight-year-old boy exemplifies the reasoning that children might use to explain why they haven’t yet caught the disorder from their sibling. This boy had not been familiar with the term "autism," but instead described his brother as "wacky." Interviewer: Do you know if it is catching? If M. has something that makes him able to talk and act "wacky" sometimes, can you catch it? Sibling: Yeah. Interviewer: You could? How would you catch it? Sibling: By staying too close to him. Interviewer: So if you’re close to him for a long time, you could get "wacky" too? Sibling: Yeah. Interviewer: Do you know anybody that ever happened to? Sibling: Um, no. Interviewer: Is there any way that you can keep from getting "wacky" like that too? Sibling: Uh, by not staying too close to him. Interviewer: You stay close to him a lot, right? Sibling: Yeah. Interviewer: Do you worry about that sometimes, that you could catch it? Sibling: Mmmmm . . . no, ‘Cause I’m always in school. Interviewer: Because of what? Sibling: ‘Cause I’m always in school and he comes home early before me. Interviewer: So you’re not close to him enough to catch it? Sibling: No. Interviewer: But if you were home all day with him, then you could catch it? Sibling: Yeah. This child’s reasoning provides an excellent example of the detailed myths that a sibling might create when factual information was either not offered or not understood. However, a sibling might also hold a less detailed belief. Consider the following excerpt from an interview with a sibling who had just turned five years old: Interviewer: Do you know if it’s contagious? Can you catch it? Sibling: Yes. Interviewer: You can catch it? And what happens if you catch it? Sibling: If you catch it that means that you’re autism, and if you catch it that you’re three years old and you like to be in that school. Interviewer: Anything else? Sibling: Um, no. Interviewer: Can you do something to keep from catching it? Can you do something so that you can’t get it? Sibling: Yeah. Interviewer: What can you do? Sibling: You can stay away from it. Interviewer: So, do you have to stay away from your sister so you don’t catch it? Sibling: Yeah. Interviewer: Can she make somebody have it? Sibling: Yeah. Interviewer: But it’s only if you get close to her or something? Sibling: Yeah. Interviewer: How come you guys didn’t catch it? Sibling: We didn’t catch it because if we get close to her, it just didn’t blow up on us. Interviewer: So it could still happen? Sibling: Yeah. For both of the siblings described above, providing accurate, developmentally appropriate information may increase the amount of time that they spend with their brother or sister with autism. In turn, this may allow more opportunities for mutually reinforcing interactions. See the next chapter for suggestions about helping your children understand autism.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Confronted with the intense demands of caring for a child with autism, parents often struggle to meet the needs of their other children. Now in a new edition, Siblings of Children with Autism takes an in-depth look at what it is like to grow up as a sibling of a child with autism. This useful book addresses a full range of questions and concerns, including how to explain autism to siblings, how to help siblings share their feelings, and how to balance the needs of the entire family. The new edition also includes a chapter about the concerns and responsibilities of adult siblings. It is important for parents to see autism through the eyes of their other children, and this book will be immensely helpful throughout that process.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal