Sibling Relationships and Social Skills in Adolescents with and without ASD

Background: Social difficulties have been suggested to be a key area of impairment for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) due to their association with both affective and cognitive deficits (Fein et. al. 1986). Research on the influence of the sibling relationship on social skills has generally focused on children with typical development (TD); for example, older siblings who display warmth may promote more prosocial behavior in younger siblings (Garcia et. al., 2000). The little research that been done on sibling relationships in families of children with ASD has mainly focused on outcomes for the typically developing sibling (Zomick, 2010). Since siblings can provide a medium for social practice, it may be especially important to look at these sibling relationships in terms of outcomes for ASD individuals.

Objectives: The aim of the present study is to investigate differences in the sibling relationship for adolescents with and without ASD and to examine the relationship between sibling warmth and social skills in adolescents with and without ASD.

Methods: Participants were 13 year-olds sampled from a study of adolescent development. Information on sibling relationships was collected from family members of adolescents with TD (parents: n=72; siblings: n=33) and ASD (parents: n=14; siblings: n=17) using the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire (SRQ; Furman & Buhrmester, 1985). Adolescents’ social skills were measured using mother report on the Social Skills Rating Form (SSRS; Greshman & Elliot; 1990).

Results: Adolescents with ASD demonstrated poorer social skills (M=84.7) than adolescents with TD (M=103.7; t=3.65, p=.00), while no significant differences in sibling warmth were reported by either siblings or mothers. According to mother report, sibling warmth correlated with social skills in adolescents with TD (r=.26, p=.03) but not in adolescents with ASD. Sibling reports of warmth did not correlate with social skills in adolescents with TD, but correlated negatively at a trend level in adolescents with ASD (r=-.47, p=.060).

Conclusions: Despite receiving lower ratings of social skills, adolescents with ASD tend to have comparable ratings of sibling warmth as compared to adolescents with TD. This could be due to positive rater biases in families of adolescents with ASD, or due to the possibility that the social skills utilized for peer interactions may not be as necessary for maintaining a warm sibling relationship. While sibling warmth positively correlated with social skills in adolescents with TD (according to mother report), the opposite was found for adolescents with ASD (according to sibling report). This may mean that for adolescents with ASD, warm social interactions with siblings do not provide social practice that can generalize to peer relationships. It is also possible that the social avoidance or rejection that results from poor social skills may lead the individuals with ASD to rely on their sibling for positive social interactions, which may promote opportunities to display warmth.