Siblings & Autism: How Are Kids Affected by Special Needs Brothers & Sisters

It's a question that not everyone asks or even thinks about, unless you are the parent to more

than child and especially if you are a parent of a child with special needs and a child/children with no special needs.

How are your other children affected by your aspergers child?

An estimated five million "developing" Canadian children have siblings with some type of disorder (eg., ADHD, Austism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Downs, Depression), and often these children can feel left out, pushed behind the parental wall while parents focus on the child with special needs, and left feeling empty, alone and un-loved.

When Trace was born, JJ was seven years old. He was so excited to have a little brother. Heck, he was excited just to have a sibling that belonged to him. He had dreams and plans, things he wanted to do with his brother, how he wanted to be a big brother and dreams for the future of their relationship.

What to Expect When You Have ADHD Kids | ADHD Mom Blog

Have you ever thought, "I give this child my all. I have nothing left for myself, my spouse, or my other child(ren)," or, "I worry about my child’s future constantly"?

Do you wish someone had written -- and you'd read -- a guide called What to Expect When You're (Not) Expecting a Special Needs Child to help prepare you for your child's challenges? If so, you're not alone.

As I mentioned in my last post, I coedited a book aimed at bridging the gap between parents of “Easy to Love but Hard to Raise” children, those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), learning disabilities (LD), sensory processing disorder (SPD), or other alphabet soup conditions that take the already difficult job of parenting and add to the challenge.

Your child was diagnosed with a developmental disorder, now what?

Receiving such a diagnosis can be overwhelming.  Attention deficit disorder. Autism. Asperger Syndrome. Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified — otherwise known as PDD-NOS.  more