The current study investigated the perceptions of families regarding the inclusion of siblings of children with disabilities by early intervention providers. Eighty-seven respondents who had a child enrolled in one state’s Part C early intervention program completed the survey. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. Results indicated a significant correlation (a) between having goals for siblings on the Individualized Family Service Plan and parents’ report of whether siblings were included by the service provider in sessions, (b) between wanting goals and the respondent’s relationship to the child, and (c) between having goals and county of residence. Qualitative results verified how siblings were included in early intervention routines by early intervention providers, that goals related to siblings were not often included in the Individualized Family Service Plan, and that parents reported that siblings wanted more information about the child’s disability. In addition, families viewed explaining the disability to siblings as a critical component for helping siblings understand the child with disabilities.
Abramovitch, R., Corter, C., Pepler, D.J., & Stanhope, L. ( 1986). Sibling and peer interaction: A final follow-up and comparison . Child Development, 57, 217-229.
2.
Bailey, D.B., Bruder, M.B., Hebbeler, K., Carta, J., Defosset, M., & Greenwood, C., et al. (2006). Recommended outcomes for families of young children with disabilities. Journal of Early Intervention , 28, 227-251.
3.
Benderix, Y., & Sivberg, B. ( 2007). Siblings’ experiences of having a brother or sister with autism and mental retardation: A case study of 14 siblings from 5 families . Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 22(5), 410-418.
4.
Bennett, C.W. ( 1973). A four-and-a-half year old as a teacher of her hearing impaired sister: A case study. Journal of Communication Disorders , 6, 67-75.
5.
Brody, G.H., & Stoneman, Z. ( 1994). Sibling relationships and their association with parental differential treatment. In E. M. Hetherington , D. Reiss, & R. Plomin (Eds.), Separate social worlds of siblings: The impact of nonshared environment on development (pp. 129-142). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
6.
Brody, G.H., Stoneman, Z., & MacKinnon, C.E. (1986). Contributions of maternal child-rearing practices and play contexts to sibling interactions. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 7, 225-236.
7.
Bruder, M.B. ( 2000). Family-centered early intervention: Clarifying our values for the new millennium. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 20, 105-115.
8.
Burbach, D.J., & Peterson, L. ( 1986). Children’s concepts of physical illness: A review and critique of the cognitive-developmental literature. Health Psychology, 5, 307-325.
9.
Carpenter, B. ( 2000). Sustaining the family: Meeting the needs of families of children with disabilities. British Journal of Special Education, 27, 135-144.
10.
Cash, W.M., & Evans, I.N. ( 1975). Training preschool children to modify their retarded siblings’ behavior. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 6, 13-16.
11.
Colletti, G., & Harris, S.L. ( 1977). Behavior modification in the home: Siblings as behavior modifiers, parents as observers. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 5(1), 21-30.
12.
Coulter, D. ( 2007). Autism, Asperger syndrome and siblings. Retrieved March 23, 2009, from http://www.coultervideo.com/siblingsessay.htm
13.
Dunn, J. ( 1983). Sibling relationships in early childhood. Child Development, 54, 787-811.
14.
Dunst, C.J., Trivette, C.M., & Hamby, D.W. ( 2007). Meta-analysis of family-centered helpgiving practices research. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Review, 13, 370-378.
15.
Fiedler, C.R., Simpson, R.L., & Clark, D.M. ( 2007). Parents and families of children with disabilities. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
16.
Gallagher, P.A., Powell, T.H., & Rhodes, C.A. ( 2006). Brothers and sisters: A special part of exceptional families . Baltimore, MD: Brookes.
17.
Grisson, M.O., & Borkowski, J.G. (2002). Self-efficacy in adolescents who have siblings with or without disabilities. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 107(2), 79-90.
18.
Hancock, T.B., & Kaiser, A.P. ( 1996). Siblings’ use of milieu teaching at home. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 16(2), 169-190.
19.
Harland, P., & Cuskelly, M. ( 2000). The responsibilities of adult siblings of adults with dual sensory impairments. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 47(3), 293-307.
20.
Harris, S.L., & Glasberg, B.A. (2003). Siblings of children with autism: A guide for families. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House.
21.
Hebbeler, K., Spiker, D., Bailey, D., Scarborough, A., Mallik, S., & Simeonsson, R. , et al. (2007). Early intervention for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families: Participants, services, and outcomes. Retrieved December 1, 2008, from http://www.sri.com/neils/pdfs/NEILS_Report_02_07_Final2.pdf
22.
Johnson, L.J., & LaMontagne, M.J. (1993). Research methods: Using content analysis to examine the verbal or written communication of stakeholders within early intervention. Journal of Early Intervention, 17(1), 73-79.
23.
Kaplan, B.J., & Columbatto, J. (1966). Headstart program for siblings of mentally retarded children. Mental Retardation, 4(6), 30-32.
24.
Kaplan, B.J., & McHale, F.J. (1980). Communication and play behaviors of a deaf preschooler and his younger brother. Volta Review, 82, 476-482.
25.
Kutner, L. ( 2005). When a sibling is disabled. Retrieved April 1, 2005, from http://www.drkutner.com/parenting/articles/disabled_sib.html
26.
Lamb, M. ( 1978). Interactions between 18-month-olds and their preschool-aged siblings. Child Development, 49, 51-59.
27.
Lamb, M., & Sutton-Smith, B. (1982). Sibling relationships . Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
28.
Litzelfelner, P. ( 1995). Children with emotional disabilities: Perceptions of siblings. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 12(4), 263-273.
29.
Lobato, D.J. ( 1990). Brothers, sisters and special needs: Information and activities for helping young siblings of children with chronic illnesses and developmental disabilities. Baltimore: Brookes.
30.
Lobato, D.J., & Kao, B.T. ( 2005). Brief report: Family-based group intervention for young siblings of children with chronic illness and developmental disability. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 30(8), 678-682.
31.
Marchant, C. ( 1995). Teachers’ views of integrated preschools. Journal of Early Intervention, 19(1), 61-73.
32.
McBride, S.L., Brotherson, M.J., Joanning, H., Whiddon, D., & Demmitt, A. ( 1993). Implementation of family-centered services: Perceptions of families and professionals. Journal of Early Intervention , 17, 414-430.
33.
McHale, S.M., Simeonsson, R.J., & Sloan, J.L. ( 1984). Children with handicapped brothers and sisters. In E. Schopler & G. Mesibov (Eds.), The effects of autism on the family (pp. 327- 342). New York: Kluwer Academic / Plenum.
34.
McMillan, E. ( 2005). A parent’s perspective. Mental Retardation, 43, 351-353.
35.
Meyer, D.J., & Vadasy, P. ( 2007). Sibshops: Workshops for siblings of children with special needs. Baltimore, MD: Brookes.
36.
Miller, N.B., & Miller, W.H. ( 1976). Siblings as behavior change agents. In J. D. Kromboltz & C. E. Thoresen (Eds.), Counseling methods (pp. 426-434). Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.
37.
Morningstar, M., Turnbull, A.P., & Turnbull, H. ( 1996). What do students with disabilities tell us about the importance of family involvement in the transition from school to adult life ? Exceptional Children, 62(3), 249-260.
38.
Munch, S., & Levick, J. ( 2001). "I’m special, too": Promoting sibling adjustment in the neonatal intensive care unit. Health and Social Work , 26(1), 58-64.
Perez-Granados, D.R., & Callahan, M.A. (1997). Conversations with mothers and siblings: Young children’s semantic and conceptual development. Developmental Psychology, 33(1), 120-134.
41.
Potter, P.C., & Roberts, M.C. ( 1984). Children’s perceptions of chronic illness: The roles of disease symptoms, cognitive development, and information. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 9, 13-27.
42.
Powell, T.H., Salzberg, C., Rule, S., Levy, S., & Itzkowitz, J. ( 1983). Teaching mentally retarded children to play with their siblings using parents as trainers. Education and Treatment of Children, 6, 343-362.
43.
Prizant, B.M., Meyer, E.C., & Lobato, D.J. ( 1997). Brothers and sisters of young children with communication disorders. Seminars in Speech and Language, 18(3), 263-281.
44.
Rossiter, L., & Sharpe, D. ( 2001). The siblings of individuals with mental retardation: A quantitative integration of the literature. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 10(1), 65-84.
45.
Rutland, J.H., & Jung, L.A. ( 2008). Service coordinators’ use of routines to develop early intervention outcomes: A study of Kentucky’s IFSPs. Poster presented at the Conference on Research Innovations in Early Intervention, San Diego, CA.
46.
Schiller, E., O’Reilly, F., & Fiore, T. ( 2006). Marking the progress of IDEA implementation: The study of state and local implementation and impact of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Bethesda, MD: Abt .
47.
Schreibman, L., O’Neill, R.E., & Koegel, R.L. ( 1983). Behavioral training for siblings of autistic children . Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 16(2), 129-138.
48.
Stocker, C.M., & McHale, S.M. (1992). The nature and family correlates of preadolescents’ perceptions of their sibling relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 9, 179-195.
49.
Stoneman, Z. ( 2005). Siblings of children with disabilities: Research themes . Mental Retardation, 43, 339-350.
50.
Sutton-Smith, B., & Rosenberg, B.G. (1968). Sibling consensus on power tactics. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 112(1), 63-72.
51.
Turnbull, A.P., Summers, J.A., Turnbull, R., Brotherson, M.J., Winton, P., & Roberts, R., et al. (2007). Family supports and services in early intervention: A bold vision. Journal of Early Intervention, 3, 187-206.
52.
Turnbull, A.P., & Turnbull, H.R. (2001). Families, professionals, and exceptionality: Collaborating for empowerment. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill / Prentice Hall.
53.
Turnbull, A., Turnbull, R., Erwin, E., & Soodak, L. ( 2006). Families, professionals, and exceptionality: Positive outcomes through partnerships and trust. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Weinrott, M.R. ( 1974). A training program in behavior modification for siblings of the retarded. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 44, 362-375.
56.
Williams, P., Williams, A., Graff, J., Hanson, S., Stanton, A., & Hafeman, C., et al. (2003). A community-based intervention for siblings and parents of children with chronic illness or disability: The ISEE study . Journal of Pediatrics, 143(3), 386-393.
57.
Wilson, J., Blacher, J., & Baker, B.L. ( 1989). Siblings of children with severe handicaps, Mental Retardation, 27(3), 167-173.
