Autism Siblings
Books aimed at the brothers and sisters of autistic children
"My 11 year old daughter read this book and even asked if she could read some of "her favorite essays" to us - she is the older sibling of our 2 year old little girl who was born 17 weeks early and she has cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness, is tube-fed and chronically ill. Her favorite stories were of the ones that she could most relate to - like the little boy who said he did not understand why his sibling was so ill when she was born. I think it made my daughter feel like it was okay for..."
"With this book, you can easily set up and run a sibshop for siblings of kids with special needs. Think of the lives you can change with this book! It has great examples and encouragement, and references."
"I am a Japanese and I am a "sibling."
I encountered this book and Don Meyer's Sibling Support Project in October of 1997. At that time, I was struggling to persuade the staff of a (sibling) group that support for siblings was as important as support for people with special needs. In my view this book gave me confidence and shed light on my road to start a new sibling support group.
Some uncommon feelings, opportunities and concerns that siblings might have are described in..."
"At my local bookstore, this book literally fell off the shelf at my feet and I knelt down and picked it up. I knew instantly that I had to buy it. I cried when I read it because it reminded me of what it was like being a younger sister of a disabled sibling. Although it brought back a lot of memories and misplaced guilt that I have tried to overcome, the book gives good explanations as to some of the outcomes of growing up in this type of family and the dysfunctions that can occur. I would..."
"This is one of the best books I have ever read by, for and about a sibling who has autism. Sarah, the young author of this book draws a rich portrait of her day-to-day life with her brother, Evan. She provided all the illustrations for the book and her family is a rich portrait of love and acceptance. The bright colors Sarah uses suggests hope and understanding. I like the way she explains and understands Evan's behavior; she knows he likes to chew on frozen foods and uncooked pasta because..."
"I am 10 and I have a 12 year old sister who has Aspergers Syndrome. My mom and dad have been trying to help me understand it for years. My sister always seems to get away with a lot of stuff and she embarrasses me a lot. I like this book because it really explains how I feel. I get annoyed just like Emily and then I feel guilty because my sister has autism and can't help what she is doing. This book let me know that it is OK to get annoyed and for some reason that makes me less annoyed with..."
"This is a short enough read that my 5th grader buzzed right through it. We skipped over several parts though, because our person in our family has Asperger syndrome and the book is geared toward Autism mainly. I did find it refreshing to find a short enough read that would help my son understand some of the things going on with his sibling, however I think we had already covered the majority of the book with him. I read the book in 1 hr. It was well written I thought."
"What a unique and astounding experience this book is. The authors tell the story of their autistic brother in a way that made me shake my head in wonder. Alternating chapters of prose and graphic/illustrated text paint a portrait of such power and poignant insight that neither method alone could ever achieve. For me, it was like when, after instumental music has taken us as far as it can, the vocal chorus kicks in in Beethoven's Ninth. As I read (and re-read) this book, I found that the..."
"It is not mentioned where this author received her information pertaining to autism but the figures listed that autism occurs in fifteen out of every 10,000 births is not correct.
Everything you need to know when a brother or sister is autistic starts off with an introduction by way of ten-year old Jacob having a new baby brother Noel and his feelings on becoming a big brother along with his hopes and dreams for the future relationship with his new sibling. Five years later Noel has not..."
"This is a great book for parents, and a wonderful resource to have as the years go on. I found the information and suggestions to be straightforward and practical. This is a well-written, concise book. I wish that there were discussion of the possible issues and behaviors of a sibling who is having difficulties coping with the realities of having an autistic child. This book tends to be more proactive in its approach. The emphasis on maintaining normalcy in your family life is very..."
"This is a great book for parents, and a wonderful resource to have as the years go on. I found the information and suggestions to be straightforward and practical. This is a well-written, concise book. I wish that there were discussion of the possible issues and behaviors of a sibling who is having difficulties coping with the realities of having an autistic child. This book tends to be more proactive in its approach. The emphasis on maintaining normalcy in your family life is very..."
"It is not mentioned where this author received her information pertaining to autism but the figures listed that autism occurs in fifteen out of every 10,000 births is not correct.
Everything you need to know when a brother or sister is autistic starts off with an introduction by way of ten-year old Jacob having a new baby brother Noel and his feelings on becoming a big brother along with his hopes and dreams for the future relationship with his new sibling. Five years later Noel has not..."
"As an educator who works with young children with autism and an inclusion specialist who educates typical students about disability awareness, I must caution about the stereotyping risk of this book. Autism is too complicated to simplify into one boy and his spinning frisbee. The book portrays a boy who, "wanted to be in his own world just about all the time." True, many kids with autism prefer to play alone, but also there are many who would like to play with others but do not know how to..."
"I gave this book to my sons first grade teacher. He is the only child with autism in his class. She read the book to the class and it really helped them understand what my son deals with throughout his day. They are so helpful. After hearing the story and watching the behavior therapists with my son, they have all become little future ABA therapists - very cute. Children at this age seem to want to understand autism and learn how they can help. This book explains what it feels like to have..."
"Mr. Carlson has written a beautiful collection of poems about his brother Kevin, who has autism. Each of the 40 rhyming poems tells the reader what it is like to have a family member with the brain disorder known as autism. The love the author feels for his brother, shows in every word on every page. I found each poem enlightening and filled with vivid details of autism and how I learned how people with autism feel about having autism and how they see things differently than the average..."
