Older siblings of children with disabilities and children with typical development: daily life and fraternal relationships

Abstract

National and international studies have discoursed about the implications, coming from the birth of a second child on the eldest child development. The aim of this study was to identify the experience of siblings of children with intellectual disabilities and siblings of children with typical development, about the daily life and support practices exercised within the family. With a qualitative and comparative approach, the exploratory study had the participation of 12 adolescents, older siblings of children with disabilities and children with typical development. For data collection semi-structured interviews were used, which were analyzed in the light of the technical Collective Subject Discourse. The main results show that siblings of both family groups are an important source of aid to the families. Furthermore, the brethren of both groups reported positively about the relationship
established with the younger child. New studies in this direction are needed so that we can broaden the understanding of the topic and provide major sources of support for siblings of children with disabilities or even older siblings of children with typical development.