Sibling Relationship Quality and Adjustment: Considerations of Family, Genetics, Cultural Expectations and Disability Type

Much of the extant literature on siblings and developmental disability fails to take into account methodological variations, syndrome specific characteristics of a disorder, or constellation variables (such as gender or birth order). In addition, the target child is usually the typically developing sibling; little consideration has been given to the impact of a typically developing child on the brother or sister with a disability. In this chapter, we review research related to the development of sibling relationship quality and identify factors that impact sibling outcomes, such as social skills or behavior, for both siblings without disabilities and those with intellectual disability (ID) or neuro-developmental disorders such as autism. In doing so, we propose a conceptual model that considers main effects and moderators (such as genetic influences, family functioning, or cultural expectations) of the target child's adjustment.