Workshop on adjustment behaviors and attachment patterns in siblings of autistic children

Sibling relationships are an integral part of a family system that is influenced by the attitudes and behaviors of parents, along with the emotional climate in the family. Having an autistic child in the family presents a distinctive set of challenges for the entire family. Research by (Hastings 2003) has shown that some typically developing siblings are negatively impacted while others have had a positive experience. This project is a workshop that is designed to educate parents and caregivers on the stressors that are perceived by the typically developing children along with adjustment behaviors they use to cope with the autistic child in the family. Once the parents and caregivers gain a better understanding of the impact the autistic child has on the interrelationships of individuals in their family, they will be more cognizant of their own stressors and gauge the emotional, behavioral and psychological adjustments their typically developing children experience. In addition parents will be introduced to attachment theory and various types of attachment patterns, which will help them to identify their own attachment patterns and parenting style. The relationship between the parent, caregiver, the typically developing sibling as well as the autistic child could strengthen as a result of parents taking the initiative to understand their children and their family dynamics.