Adjustment, sibling problems and coping strategies of brothers and sisters of children with autistic spectrum disorder PENELOPE ROSS & MONICA CUSKELLY School of Education, University of Queensland, Australia Abstract Background Siblings of children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) express more problem behaviours and experience more difficulties in their relationships than do children in families where all children are developing typically. We know little about what contributes to these difficulties. Method Mothers of a child with ASD completed the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991) with respect to a non- disabled sibling. Siblings responded to a questionnaire tapping their knowledge about their brother or sister’s disorder. They reported on problems they had experienced with their brother or sister with ASD and on the coping strategies they had used in response to these events. Problems were classified into 1 of 5 problem types. Results Aggressive behaviour was the most commonly reported interaction problem and anger was the usual response. Siblings did not generally choose blaming (either self or other) as a coping strategy when facing difficulties with their brother or sister with ASD. Neither coping strategies nor knowledge of ASD were associated with adjustment. Forty percent of non- disabled siblings had scores on the Child Behavior Checklist that placed them in the borderline or clinical range. Conclusions The current study indicated that siblings of children with ASD are at increased risk of developing internalising behaviour problems. The contributing factors to this outcome are unknown at this point. It is important for research to focus on dynamic variables in the search for these contributors, as they are open to change. Keywords: Sibling, autism, autistic spectrum disorder, Asperger syndrome, coping, adjustment, relationship Introduction Interactions with one’s siblings provide opportu- nities for experiencing and expressing many emo- tions, as well as for the practice, and perhaps mastery, of skills such as self-control, sharing, listening, conflict resolution, and fair play (Gibbs, 1993). Sibling relationships extend into adulthood but their character is generally established in the early years. It is likely that the quality of the relationship contributes to the overall psychological adjustment of children. Given the importance of experiences within the sibling subsystem, it is essential that we increase our understanding of the impact on children of possible disturbances within this subsystem. While it has been established that the siblings of children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) experience more difficulties in their relationships than do children in families where all children are developing typically (Ba ˚genholm & Gillberg, 1991), investigation of the day-to-day difficulties experi- enced by siblings of children with ASD and of how they cope with these stressors has been a relatively neglected area of research. Cuskelly (1999) argued that research focusing on dynamic aspects of the sibling relationship is more likely to contribute to ameliorating the impact of a child with a disability on their sibling than research into status variables such as age and birth-order. Her reasoning was that dynamic variables are open to change and therefore provide the foci for interventions. The study reported here investigated the impact of two dynamic variables on the adjustment of siblings of children with ASD, namely coping skills and knowledge of ASD. In addition, it examined the types of difficulties reported by brothers and sisters of children with ASD. The term ASD is used to include children with a range of social and commu- nication problems. Often, a more specific diagnosis of autism or Asperger syndrome is made for children on this spectrum. The present study included children with either of these diagnoses. Research investigating the psychological adjust- ment of siblings of children with ASD (i.e., autism, Asperger syndrome, or simply ASD) has yielded inconsistent results, with some researchers reporting Correspondence: Dr Monica Cuskelly, School of Education, The University of Queensland, QLD 4072, Australia. E-mail: m.cuskelly@uq.edu.au Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, June 2006; 31(2): 77–86 ISSN 1366-8250 print/ISSN 1469-9532 online # 2006 Australasian Society for the Study of Intellectual Disability Inc. DOI: 10.1080/13668250600710864