Examining clinical characteristics of autism and links with parent perceptions of sibling relationship quality.
Alana J McVey, Quinn Liu, Saashi A Bedford and 10 others
PMID 35510331WHAT IT FOUND
Parents reported that children with stronger communication skills had warmer relationships with siblings, especially if they also had behavioral difficulties.
However, higher communication was also linked to more conflict. Children with more severe autism symptoms showed less conflict and rivalry with siblings.
Key findings
01Children with behavioral difficulties and stronger communication skills had less warmth in sibling relationships than those with weaker communication, but overall, stronger communication was associated with more warmth.
02More severe autism symptoms were associated with lower levels of sibling conflict and rivalry, but not with lower warmth.
03Higher communication ability was associated with more sibling conflict and greater relative status/power in the sibling relationship.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot determine causality or temporality. Data relies solely on parent report, which may be influenced by parental stress and does not capture the sibling's perspective. The sample was relatively small and socio-demographically homogeneous, limiting generalizability. Sibling characteristics (age, sex) could not be controlled for in the full sample, only in a subsample of two-child families. The measure for sibling rivalry had moderate internal consistency, and results for this domain were sensitive to the inclusion of one extreme data point.
Declared interests
Funding was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Autism Speaks, and other Canadian health and government bodies. Dr Szatmari and Dr Kerns declared royalties from book publications unrelated to the study interventions. Other authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that improving communication skills will automatically resolve sibling conflict or improve all aspects of the relationship. The study found that higher communication ability was associated with both more warmth and more conflict, and that children with better communication had more 'power' in the relationship. Increased engagement through communication may bring both positive connection and negative friction.