"I often have to explain to school staff what she needs". School experiences of non-autistic siblings growing up with an autistic brother or sister.
Non-autistic siblings carry autism education into school—tap their knowledge and everyone wins.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Pavlopoulou et al. (2022) talked with non-autistic brothers and sisters about school life. They asked how growing up with an autistic sibling shows up in class.
The team used open interviews. Kids shared stories of explaining autism to teachers and how home stress followed them to school.
What they found
Siblings said they often act as the 'expert' for staff. They teach peers and teachers what their brother or sister needs.
When a teacher or classmate already 'gets' autism, the sibling feels lighter. A single informed adult can turn a rough day into a calm one.
How this fits with other research
Roane et al. (2001) showed autistic teens hide stress by 'masquerading' at school. Georgia et al. flip the lens: siblings also mask, but their job is explaining the autism.
Maciver et al. (2023) count one in six Scottish pupils with neurodevelopmental needs. The new study gives those numbers a face—brothers and sisters who field the questions.
Herrero-Martín et al. (2024) build robot profiles so autistic kids can join class activities. Georgia et al. warn that if staff skip sibling insight, even the best robot plan can stall.
Why it matters
You can lighten a sibling's load in two minutes. Ask them privately, 'What helps your brother at home that we could use here?' Add their tip to the autistic student's plan and share it with staff. One informed peer or teacher cuts the sibling's advocacy work and boosts class inclusion for both kids.
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Ask the sibling one quick question: 'What should we know?' Write the answer in the student's daily plan.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Recent autism research has evidenced a shift from psychological outcomes to contextualised approaches to understanding the varying needs of non autistic siblings of autistic children across different systems. Yet, there is limited research exploring the lived experiences of siblings in their school context. METHODS: First, a group of school aged sibling advisors worked with the first author to codesign research aims, methods and dissemination practices around the topic of the school experiences of siblings who grow up with an autistic brother or sister in the UK. Then, 28 school-aged siblings of autistic children completed adapted photo-elicitation interviews, to discuss their school experiences. A background questionnaire was also administered to their parents and carers. RESULTS: Thematic analysis was employed. The master themes included: (i) Impact of home experiences in schoolwork, including limited personal time and sleep disruptions (ii) Siblings' school interactions impact on overall school experience, including a wide range of both typical and difficult experiences such as school day disruptions, (iii) Varied perceived levels of support and understanding, including emotional and/or educational support by family members and a sense of connectedness with peers and teachers who are autistic themselves or connected to someone with a diagnosis of autism. IMPLICATIONS: The results underline the ways home experiences can have an impact on school life of siblings, the positive contribution of the autistic school staff and/or staff who have an autistic family member and the need for an organisational culture of inclusivity and widespread acceptance and awareness around issues of neurodiversity. Our findings suggest several implications for school psychologists in core functions of the educational psychologists' role including training, consultation, assessment, and whole school support. DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT: The datasets generated for this study are not readily available because they include sensitive data (photos of siblings' houses, family members, personal objects, and school timetables). Requests to access the datasets should be directed to corresponding author.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2022 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104323