SLN member & previous Board member, Meghan Burke, tells Impact about the common experiences, roles, needs, and supports of siblings of individuals with IDD across the lifespan.
“The sibling relationship is typically the longest lasting familial relationship. When a disability is present, siblings may fill unique roles for their brothers/sisters with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Such roles may include advocates, supporters, and caregivers, to name a few. Sibling relationships and roles are shaped through a dynamic, lifelong, and reciprocal process, which includes the contributions of all family members (Cicirelli, 2013; McHale, Updegraff, & Whiteman, 2012). To have a holistic understanding of the lived experiences of siblings of individuals with IDD, it is important to examine the interaction between the life course and the experience of disability.”
Read Siblings of People with IDD: A Look Across the Lifespan here.
Also see Sibling Needs Across the Life Course
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