Can ABA Therapy Help with Sibling Rivalry?

Sibling rivalries exist in many families. Brothers fight with brothers, sisters with sisters, and brothers with sisters all the time as they jockey for the spotlight, attention and more.

When a sibling rivalry exists with a child who has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), though, the reasons may be slightly different. There are unique aspects to families who have children with autism, and unique dynamics may present themselves in sibling rivalries in these situations.

Sibling relationships are extremely important, though, especially for children on the autism spectrum. That’s why it’s so important to get to the bottom of the sibling rivalry and create a supportive environment for everyone.

In this article, we’ll detail how applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy) can help with sibling rivalry.

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Why Are Sibling Relationships Important for Children with Autism?

Children with ASD can often feel alone. As they get older, many will eventually realize that they are different in some ways than their peers, and this can be an extremely isolating feeling.

Having siblings who are there to provide them with emotional support, guidance and be companions helps them not feel so alone. Siblings often are allies and advocates for children with autism for their entire lives.

They can be the comforting and familiar face who will understand how to communicate with them to ensure they’re heard. They can be a facilitator, introducing their sibling with autism to peers and breaking down barriers to social interactions.

For all of these reasons and many more, sibling relationships are crucial for children with ASD.

What Are the Unique Challenges of Having a Sibling with Autism?

When a family has a child with autism, it can create unique challenges among siblings, which can result in sibling rivalries.

Oftentimes, the child with autism requires extra attention, as they need support with daily living tasks and more. If they get ABA therapy, especially at home, the child will be receiving even more specialized attention that the other siblings won’t get.

The other siblings may perceive that they are receiving unfair treatment from their parents at times, as the child with autism could get preferential and immediate treatment and attention when they want or need it.

There also could be significant communication challenges between the siblings, which could cause conflicts as misunderstandings arise.

All of this could result in the child’s siblings feeling slighted and blaming their brother or sister with autism for it, which can lead to a sibling rivalry.

How Can ABA Therapy Help with Sibling Rivalry?

A major aspect of ABA therapy is integrating family members into the treatment plan. This includes not just parents but siblings as well.

There are many reasons why this is done. First, by teaching parents and siblings what challenges the child with autism faces and how ABA therapy helps them, it enables those other family members to provide similar support when the therapist is no longer there.

In addition, family involvement can help to foster empathy and understanding, and encourage teamwork and cooperation. Over time, this can lead to very strong bonds being built among all siblings, which can break through any sibling rivalry that might exist.

ABA therapy sessions are a controlled environment in which the therapist can lead the family down certain paths. By creating an environment that is supportive and understanding, the therapist can help siblings more deeply grasp the challenges their brother or sister is facing, and why they might need the extra attention and support.

The treatment can also actually empower the siblings to be significant support pillars for their brother or sister with autism. Therapists can teach them some of the basic principles of ABA therapy so they can not only help support their brother and sister but also engage with them more effectively.

In a major way, this makes the siblings feel proud of what they are doing for their brother or sister, which strengthens the bonds between them all. And these bonds that are built through ABA therapy can last a lifetime in real-world scenarios.

Blue Gems ABA Helps Siblings Build Strong Bonds

Sibling relationships are critical for all children, but especially for those with autism. ABA therapy can play a major role in breaking down sibling rivalries and building strong bonds that will last a lifetime.

At Blue Gems ABA, we integrate family members into all of our ABA therapy plans so that we can foster environments that are supportive and understanding. This helps children with autism build the skills they need and build strong bond with their family members.

To learn more, please contact us today.