Siblings of special children also have needs
Growing up with a sibling is a source of learning. It is the first intense bond we have with an equal that becomes a close relationship that will guide us throughout life and that determines our own personality and the way in which we relate to others. Being next to a brother is a continuous trainin
Growing up with a sibling is a source of learning. It is the first intense bond we have with an equal that becomes a close relationship that will guide us throughout life and that determines our own personality and the way in which we relate to others.
Being next to a brother is a continuous training. It serves to discuss, share, play, negotiate, give in, have patience, combat envy, etc. When one of the brothers is special does not necessarily have to be negative, but it is a fact that can cause concern and ambiguous feelings in children and parents.
What happens when one of the brothers has a disability
Children are very affected by everything that happens in their environment. If one of the brothers has special needs, this will influence the dynamics of the family. The siblings of a child with a disability experience feelings that are difficult for other people to understand and that as time goes on they will evolve as the brother's needs develop.
Growing up with a child with special needs can awaken sensations and feelings such as:
- Feeling guilty. Often these children think they have something to do with their brother's illness.
- Loneliness and rage. The difficulty of sharing feelings with other peers in the same situation or the need for more attention from parents are the trigger for the emotions that appear when feeling alone, or isolated. The family and the environment must clothe the child to normalize the situation and that this does not happen.
- Feeling of fear. Young children have a hard time understanding the reasons why their brother is different from others.
- Shame. This feeling appears as the children get older. Know that the family you belong to is not the same as the rest of friends or have to answer uncomfortable peer questions, etc. They are difficult situations for the child.
The experience that a child with a special sibling can experience depends on the degree of and type of disability he or she has. In addition, age also counts. The maturational and emotional skills are conditioning the experience of the brother's disability. The environment and the degree of family cohesion, how they communicate or help each other can facilitate or hinder coexistence with a brother with needs.
How to help siblings of special children
Rabies, shame, guilt are feelings that this type of children can experience but if help is provided from the environment and the family these children gain autonomy and personal growth But how can the environment help? :
- Communication. It is important that since children are young, parents learn and use resources to be able to report the characteristics of the brother's disability and its evolution.
- Involve the child in the decisions. This generates security in the child that is fundamental to combat the feeling of fear that is generated in the child. In addition, integrating it in decisions makes the child take commitment to help care for and care for his brother in the future
- Learn about what happens. Knowing about the origin of the disease and what it consists of to improve their quality of life can become a life project.
- Mutual assistance between equals. It is an activity in which the children meet with siblings with needs in which they meet as a group to explain their concerns and fears. Conducted by a therapist and in which different objectives are treated
