Behavioral adjustment of siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Introduction. Challenges in the development of a child with autism spectrum disorder require adjustment of the entire family, parents and siblings. So far, the researchers? efforts have mostly been focused on children with autism spectrum disorder or their parents, and less frequently on the siblings living in a family with a child with autism spectrum disorder. The goal of this research was to identify problems in the functioning of siblings of persons with autism spectrum disorder and the relationships of these problems with various sociodemographic and family characteristics. Material and Methods. The research was conducted as a cross-sectional study which included thirty children aged 4 to 18 years with a sibling with autism spectrum disorder. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used to assess the functioning of siblings of children with autism, while family characteristics were collected through a sociodemographic questionnaire created for research purposes. Statistical package for the social sciences 20.0 software was used for data entry and processing. Results. There are no significant differences in the functioning of siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder in relation to their gender, age, family status and the level of functionality of a child with autism spectrum disorder. In most cases, there is a low risk of clinically significant problems (63.3%), in 10% of cases the risk is medium, and in 26.7% of cases it is high. Conclusion. Problems in the functioning of siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder do not depend on sociodemographic or family characteristics. Models of support, based on the research findings along with community education, strengthen the siblings through their experience of growing up with a sibling with autism spectrum disorder.