Customer Reviews

Siblings of Children with Autism: A Guide for Families (Topics in Autism)

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This is a great book for parents, and a wonderful resource to have as the years go on. I found the information and suggestions to be straightforward and practical. This is a well-written, concise book. I wish that there were discussion of the possible issues and behaviors of a sibling who is having difficulties coping with the realities of having an autistic child. This book tends to be more proactive in its approach. The emphasis on maintaining normalcy in your family life is very important advice. This is a must-have for your "autism-library."

I personally, while finding this information useful, did not find anything different than what would pertain to any 'normal' [by that meaning non-autism sibling relationship] sibling relationship. Of course middle children are going to feel left out on occasion because they are not the baby, or the oldest will feel as thought they have to 'parent' on occasion. Perhaps the youngest feels like a baby, or likes being 'babied.' I don't know, personally I did not learn anything new or useful. A good book to read, in general; however if you are going to try to educate yourself on autism and related topics, I can think of many other books to recommend. The Autism Answer Book: More Than 300 of the Top Questions Parents Ask is just one that I can think of that touches not only on this topic, but many others, as well. for one SPECIFIC to sibling relationships, I would recommend: Views from Our Shoes: Growing Up With a Brother or Sister With Special Needs. A book that tells it like it is. Right on.

Now in its second edition, Siblings Of Children With Autism the collaborative effort of Sandra L. Harris (a Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology) and Beth A. Glasberg (a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Research Professor at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers University) and offers the reader a straightforward, authoritative, instructional resource addressing questions, concerns, and issues for the siblings in a family with an autistic child -- children who may require a disproportionate amount of care and attention from the parents. With its thoroughly "reader friendly" text, Siblings Of Children With Autism is a vital contribution the field and a strongly recommended reference, especially for the non-specialist general reader who is a member of, or has dealings, with the brothers and sisters of an autistic child in the family.