School-aged Siblings Of Children Research Articles

Measuring social-communication difficulties in school-age siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder: Standardized versus naturalistic assessment.

Younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; high-risk siblings) are at elevated risk for developing the broader autism phenotype (BAP), which consists of subclinical features of ASD. We examined conversational skills in a naturalistic context and standardized assessments of pragmatic language and communication skills in high-risk and low-risk school-age children with BAP (n=22) and ASD (n=18) outcomes, as well as comparison children without ASD or BAP (n=135). Children with BAP characteristics exhibited lower conversational skills than comparison children, but did not differ on any of three standardized measures. Only the conversational ratings significantly predicted membership in the BAP versus Comparison group. This suggests that naturalistic tasks are crucial when assessing social-communication difficulties in children with a family history of ASD. LAY SUMMARY: The broader autism phenotype (BAP) consists of subclinical features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is more common among family members of those with ASD. School-age children with BAP characteristics exhibited lower conversational skills than comparison children, but did not differ on standardized language measures tapping similar abilities. This suggests that naturalistic tasks may be more sensitive to the social-communication difficulties seen in some children with a family history of ASD than the standardized language tests used in most evaluations.

Predictors of Pragmatic Communication in School-Age Siblings of Children with ASD and Low-Risk Controls.

Little empirical evidence exists about school-age pragmatic communication or predictors in siblings at heightened familial risk for ASD (HR) and low-risk (LR) controls. The Pragmatic Rating Scale-School-Age (Landa unpublished) was scored for 49 HR siblings and 18 LR controls at 8-12years. Social-communication and language measures were collected between 14 and 36months. At 36-months, siblings were classified as ASD (HR-ASD, n = 15), broad autism phenotype (HR-BAP, n = 19), or typically developing (HR-TD, n = 15). Results revealed a pragmatic continuum with significantly better scores for HR-TD than HR-BAP or HR-ASD, and HR-BAP than HR-ASD. Per regression models including all participants, 14-month joint attention initiations predicted school-age pragmatic communication, as did 24-month social-communication and expressive language scores. Early joint attention, social-communication, and language abilities contribute to later pragmatic functioning.

Language-related abilities in ‘unaffected’ school-aged siblings of children with ASD

Siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who do not have ASD outcomes are more likely than their peers to experience delays in language acquisition as preschoolers. However, less is known about how these siblings are faring when they are school-aged. We examined language-related abilities of 18 siblings with non-ASD outcomes, aged 8–11. On average, siblings performed more poorly than the normative sample in phonological memory and phonological awareness. In contrast, word-level reading was unimpaired. No deficits relative to norms were found on a direct child assessment and parent-report measure of pragmatic language; however, recommendations for further research in this area are made. Comparing two direct child assessments, this sample performed more poorly in pragmatics than receptive/expressive language. Language abilities in siblings of children with ASD is an area ripe for further investigation with larger sample sizes and appropriate comparison groups.

The self-reported experiences of siblings who have a brother or sister diagnosed with childhood cancer: a systematic review protocol of qualitative evidence

The self-reported experiences of siblings who have a brother or sister diagnosed with childhood cancer: a systematic review protocol of qualitative evidence

SELF-CONCEPT OF SIBLINGS OF CHILDREN WITH CANCER

Childhood cancer can have detrimental effects on the psychosocial well-being of healthy siblings of children with cancer. The limited research done over the past 40 years has identified adjustment difficulties such as poor self-concept, depression, sorrow, anxiety, and feelings of loneliness in children who have a sibling with cancer. To date, clinical research investigating self-concept is scarce as it relates to siblings of children with cancer. The purpose of this study was to examine self-concept in siblings of children with cancer who attended summer camp. A nonprobability purposive sample consisted of 50 school-age siblings of children with cancer. Using the Personal Attribute Inventory for Children (PAIC) to measure children's selfconcept, the researcher found that healthy siblings who attended summer camp scored higher on the PAIC than healthy siblings who did not attend camp. This research suggests that social support such as a camp experience may play an important function in coping with having a brother or sister with childhood cancer.