Patterns and predictors of anxiety among siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders.
School-age brothers of kids with autism may carry quiet worry that shows only if you ask.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team sent surveys to families who have one child with autism and at least one other child.
They asked the neurotypical brothers and sisters about worry, fear, and nervous habits.
The goal was to see if these siblings carry extra anxiety just because autism is in the home.
What they found
Most siblings looked fine.
Only boys between about seven and twelve showed a small bump in anxious feelings.
Even then, scores stayed below the clinical worry line.
How this fits with other research
Hastings (2003) already saw more behavior problems in brothers and younger kids, so the male spike in Capio et al. (2013) lines up.
Orsmond et al. (2009) found teen sisters felt worse when moms were depressed; Capio et al. (2013) did not see that girl pattern, likely because their sample was younger.
Poppes et al. (2016) later showed the same mild anxiety can last into adulthood, proving the risk does not fade without watchful eyes.
Why it matters
You now know to keep a gentle eye on school-age brothers during intakes.
One quick anxiety screener at referral, plus a parent tip sheet on calm-down routines, can catch trouble before it grows.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine patterns of anxiety among siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and determine the characteristics of the child with ASD and their parents that predicted anxiety. Data was collected from 1,755 siblings of children with ASD whose families participated in the Simons Simplex Collection; siblings ranged in age from 3 to 18 years (M = 9 years). Male siblings were at increased risk for sub-clinical anxiety problems during middle childhood. Parental history of anxiety disorders, higher maternal pragmatic language, and more proband behavior problems predicted higher anxiety. While siblings overall did not show elevated anxiety symptoms, higher rates of sub-clinical anxiety problems among males and siblings in middle childhood are cause for concern.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2013 · doi:10.1007/s10803-012-1685-7