Siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) affect the child’s interaction, communication, and behavior, profoundly changing the family environment. Objectives: To understand what it means to be the sibling of a child with ASD. Participants and Methods: Exploratory descriptive study, using a qualitative methodology, with 11 siblings of children with ASD with semi-structured interviews, conducted in October and November/2013, and data analysis proposed by Bardin. Results: Four themes emerged: the child and the sibling’s diagnosis, the child and the sibling with ASD, the child and the parents, and the child and the others. Conclusions: Being the sibling of a child with ASD is a unique experience. Some negative aspects are related to the attention given by the parents, with this being one of the most significant needs felt by siblings of children with ASD. Nurses should intervene with parents, alerting them to the fact that the attention given to their children is one of the greatest needs expressed by the children.

Keywords

• criança
• irmãos
• perturbação do espetro do autismo
• experiências fraternas