Siblings of youth and children with additional needs need support too - Here’s five things Christian parents can do

This article is written by Phoebe Ridout, who is the daughter of Mark Arnold (from the Additional Needs Alliance). Phoebe shares her experience of growing up as an additional needs sibling to her brother, James, as well as offering learnings for us all…

Growing up I didn’t often see a family unit similar to my own. From a young age I was a carer for my younger brother, James, who was diagnosed as Autistic and with learning difficulties when he was 2 ½ and I was 5. By the time I was a teenager, James was still non-verbal and needed around-the-clock care. As a young person, this was my ‘normal’, however, it came with its challenges as I navigated my teenage years with a disabled brother. This article shares five ways in which people who parent, care for, or work with, children and young people can help to support the siblings of children and young people with additional needs.

1. Notice

Growing a good relationship with the young person helps to keep useful communication open. Encouraging this allows siblings and parents to discuss if anything has happened during the week, or the night before, and parents can be on the lookout for any potential behaviour changes or if the young person is ‘out of sorts.’

Young people who are in a family unit with a sibling with additional needs also have an increased chance of having difficulties with their mental health due to their intense home lives. Parents and young people can work together in understanding what would work best to support them well (see section four below).