Young Siblings
You are not the only one!
There are lots of young people growing up with a disabled brother or sister. We call these young people siblings. Sibling is another word for brother or sister.
When you grow up with someone who is disabled or has an illness, there are both good things and difficult things about it. It’s like this in all families, even if nobody is disabled.
'It is nice to know that you are not the only one with a sib with special needs'
It is normal to have a mixture of feelings
Sometimes siblings like being with their brother or sister and enjoy each others company. At other times they really don’t want to do anything with them. This is normal. It is normal to sometimes feel caring and protective, and sometimes to feel totally fed up and irritated with your brother or sister.
As you know, parents are often very busy looking after the disabled person. This sometimes means that you don’t get as much attention from your parent. Sometimes you may wish you had more information about disability or about coping with difficult things that happen.
Tips for siblings
Have a look at the tips in these sections - we will be adding more in the next few days. Ask your parent to read the tips with you as he or she will need to help you with some of these.
I don't understand my brother or sister's disability
I don't get enough time with my mum or dad
People stare at my brother or sister
