Investigation of the Effect of Interactive Sibling Education Program on Sibling Relations of Typical Developing Children and Children with Autism

The presence of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a family impacts not only parents but also typically developing (TD) siblings, influencing the dynamics of sibling relationships.. In this context, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of the Interactive Sibling Education Program (ISEP) on the sibling relationships between TD children and their siblings diagnosed with ASD. The study was conducted with four TD children aged 10–12 and their siblings with ASD aged 6–9, all of whom had no additional diagnoses. The intervention was implemented over 12 weeks, with two sessions per week, totaling 24 home-based sessions. A multiple baseline design across behaviors, one of the single-subject research methods, was employed to evaluate the impact of the program. Findings indicated that all TD participants demonstrated improvements in the target behaviors, in game playing, imitating, and seeking help interactions. These gains were maintained during follow-up sessions. Additionally, results from the Schaeffer Sibling Behavior Rating Scale revealed that the program positively influenced the sibling relationships of TD children with their siblings with ASD.