Parenting Stress and Stressful Life Events Among Caregivers of Toddler Siblings of Autistic and Non-Autistic Children.
Parenting stress is already elevated in caregivers of 12- to 18-month-old siblings of autistic children—screen and support early.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Ederer et al. (2026) asked 252 caregivers of toddlers to fill out two short forms. One form measured parenting stress. The other listed recent stressful life events like job loss or illness.
Half the toddlers had an older autistic sibling. The other half had only non-autistic siblings. Kids were 12 to 18 months old.
What they found
Caregivers with an autistic older child scored higher on both stress and life events. The gap was small to medium, but it showed up in every family.
Stress was already high before any autism diagnosis in the toddler.
How this fits with other research
Herlihy et al. (2015) found parents spot autism signs four months earlier when an older sibling is autistic. E et al. now show stress is also higher at that same early stage.
Wan et al. (2012) watched parents of 6- to 10-month-old infant siblings and saw they were more directive and less sensitive during play. The new survey shows the stress behind those moments.
Estes et al. (2014) taught parents P-ESDM and kept their stress flat after a toddler autism diagnosis. E et al. argue you should start supports even earlier, because stress is already up in the sibling stage.
Why it matters
If you work with families who have an autistic child and a new baby, screen for caregiver stress at the 12-month visit. Offer brief respite, parent-coaching, or just a listening ear. Early support may keep stress from snowballing before any second diagnosis appears.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study measured experiences of parenting stress and stressful life events in caregivers of families with a toddler who has either an autistic or non-autistic older sibling(s). Caregivers of toddlers (12-18 months old) with older autistic siblings (Sibs-autism; n = 58) and toddlers with older non-autistic siblings (Sibs-NA; n = 46) completed questionnaires assessing stress related to parenting their toddler and their exposure to stressful life events since their toddler's birth. We compared levels of parenting stress and stressful life events between caregivers of Sibs-autism and Sibs-NA and examined the association between these measures. Caregivers of Sibs-autism reported significantly higher levels of parenting stress and stressful life events relative to caregivers of Sibs-NA, with small to moderate effects. Parenting stress and stressful life events were moderately correlated. Across these groups of caregivers, parenting stress and stressful life events appear to be related, but partially distinct aspects of caregiver stress. These findings highlight the importance of assessing multiple aspects of stress to better understand how stress may influence both caregiver wellbeing and the development of children with autistic siblings.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2026 · doi:10.1002/aur.70217