Sib Question for , Tamar and

[Guest guest]

Good morning and thanks for being our guest experts.

I have a 20 year old son with autism. My husband had a brother who is

now deceased who also had autism. I am worried about what to tell my

22 year old son about his chances of having a child with autism should

he marry and wish to have children. I would be broken hearted to watch

him go through what we have been through with Noah. Does Jordan need

to be thinking about this sooner rather than later?

Thanks.

Ellen

[Guest guest]

Hi Ellen-

and I are responding together on this one,

What you are talking about is really an important issue for many

siblings, especially for young adults who are thinking about starting

families of their own.

It would probably be useful to share the information you do have with

your son. Sometimes, the best thing can just be letting him know that

you are available to talk about it when he is ready.

When he is thinking about starting his own family, it would be helpful

for him to have resources that he may need (e.g., genetic counseling

services, literature on autism prevalence in families, etc.).

Ultimately, it would be about you supporting your son and his partner

in whatever they choose.

says that she interviewed siblings for her BA thesis a number of

years ago. She asked 12 siblings what they thought about the

possibility of having a child with a disability. The majority of

respondents felt it would be easier if they had a child with the same

disability as their sibling because they were already somewhat

familiar with the support needs. For example, one respondent with a

brother with a developmental disability said she could handle having a

child with DD, but if she had a child with a physical disability such

a spina bifida, she thought it would be too difficult for her to

handle. The reverse took place as well. Respondents who grew up with

a sibling with a physical disability could not imagine having a child

with a developmental disability, but they were more okay if their

child ended up having a physical disability. This is a small sample

and everyone is different, but it is interesting.

- &

[Guest guest]

Thanks. That is really helpful and the research data, though sample size was small is really interesting!

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeldegskb@...

Re: Sib Question for , Tamar and

Hi Ellen- and I are responding together on this one,What you are talking about is really an important issue for manysiblings, especially for young adults who are thinking about startingfamilies of their own.It would probably be useful to share the information you do have withyour son. Sometimes, the best thing can just be letting him know thatyou are available to talk about it when he is ready. When he is thinking about starting his own family, it would be helpfulfor him to have resources that he may need (e.g., genetic counselingservices, literature on autism prevalence in families, etc.). Ultimately, it would be about you supporting your son and his partnerin whatever they choose. says that she interviewed siblings for her BA thesis a number ofyears ago. She asked 12 siblings what they thought about thepossibility of having a child with a disability. The majority ofrespondents felt it would be easier if they had a child with the samedisability as their sibling because they were already somewhatfamiliar with the support needs. For example, one respondent with abrother with a developmental disability said she could handle having achild with DD, but if she had a child with a physical disability sucha spina bifida, she thought it would be too difficult for her tohandle. The reverse took place as well. Respondents who grew up witha sibling with a physical disability could not imagine having a childwith a developmental disability, but they were more okay if theirchild ended up having a physical disability. This is a small sampleand everyone is different, but it is interesting.- &