Monday, April 30, 2012
Providing support for siblings
As I was reading my textbook, Parents and Families of Children with Disabilities, I paid close attention to the chapter on providing supports for siblings of children with disabilities. The information in this chapter reinforced my understanding that there is a lot of mixed information on how the siblings in the family are effected. A famous study by Graliker, Fisher, and Koch showed that teenage siblings of children with disabilities showed that they led typically happy lives and were understanding and accepting of their siblings. Some other studies claim that it depends on the disability that is effecting the family. I also read that the severity of the disability is a factor in how it effects the family dynamic. This makes sense becasue the more severe of a disability that a child has, the more stress the parents are under to care for their child. When the parents are stressed, this can cause stress on the entire family. Whether or not the siblings of children with disabilities are negatively effected, they need support from their parents and possibly outside resources. I plan to further research the resources available for siblings of children with disabilities.
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Are you finding any connections for good practices that link the articles you are reading?
ReplyDeleteLindsey,
ReplyDeleteI could also see if there is a teenage sibling who has a younger sibling with a disability they could also take the initiative to also care for them and help them with their specific needs. I don't see them resenting their sibling at all.
The effect of the disability on the family I think is a huge factor in how they accept and provide for their child who has a disability. In my internship, there was a child in my classroom who has ADHD and had no impulse control. His family has been through so much throughout the year with trying to figure out if they should keep him on medication and what to do to make their home situation better. Meeting with the parents my teacher and I could see how frustrated and stressed out this mother was about her child, but she was also doing everything that she could to try to make him happy and comfortable.
Interesting post!