Empathy and perceptions of their brother or sister among adolescent siblings of individuals with and without autism spectrum disorder.
Teen siblings of kids with autism show stronger perspective-taking and warmer feelings, yet earlier studies show they also risk low mood.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The researchers asked teen brothers and sisters to fill out two short surveys. One survey measured how well they can take another person's point of view. The other asked how they feel about their sibling.
Some teens had a brother or sister with autism. Other teens had only neurotypical siblings. The team then compared the two groups.
What they found
Teens with an autistic sibling scored higher on perspective-taking. They also reported warmer feelings toward their brother or sister.
In their open answers, many said they wished for more family time, not more stuff. The authors link this wish to stronger empathy.
How this fits with other research
Lovell et al. (2016) and Gold (1993) found the same teens can also feel more depressed. Higher empathy and higher sadness can live side-by-side.
Toth et al. (2007) saw toddler siblings lag in language and play. The new study shows these early gaps may close by adolescence.
Pavlopoulou et al. (2019) used interviews instead of surveys. Their sisters told the same story: living with autism shapes identity and caregiving.
Why it matters
When you coach families, remember the neurotypical teen. Praise their empathy, but also ask how they are feeling. A quick mood check during parent training can catch hidden stress. Share simple coping tools like scheduled one-on-one parent time. Strong, supported siblings help the whole house.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Although clinicians have hypothesized that siblings of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), may exhibit more empathy and understanding of others, no studies have yet examined empathy among siblings of individuals with ASD. AIMS: The current study examined self- reported empathy and feelings about adolescents' brothers or sisters with and without ASD. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Adolescent siblings (age 12-18) of individuals with (n=26) or without ASD (n=48) completed an online survey with measures of empathy and their feelings about their brother or sister, as well as an open ended task asking them for three "magic wishes." OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Siblings of individuals with ASD (ASD- Sibs) reported significantly more perspective-taking than did siblings of typically-developing individuals (TD-Sibs). Perspective-taking was significantly related to feelings of positive affect toward the brother/sister for both groups. ASD-Sibs also were significantly more likely to report wishes related to their family, while TD-Sibs reported more wishes for themselves. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Findings suggest that potentially higher levels of perspective-taking ability among ASD-Sibs may contribute to better understanding of and therefore more positive affect toward their brother or sister with ASD. More research is needed to understand patterns of empathy among ASD-Sibs.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2019 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2019.103451