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Special Learning House

Autism resources for exceptional families. Increase communication, learning and fun at home.

July 7, 2021

Explaining autism to siblings (+ free printable conversation prompts)

Do you need help explaining autism to siblings? Parents of children with autism often have difficulty explaining autism to their other children. You are not alone and these tips will make the process go more smoothly. Living with an autistic sibling presents its own unique set of challenges and helping siblings understand autism is important.

Make sure you explain autism in a simple and effective way that is developmentally and age appropriate. I put together some resources below to help the conversation go more smoothly. Make sure you download and print out the conversation prompts I prepared for you to get the most out of this post!

Explaining Autism to Siblings

This post is written in collaboration with The Innovation Press. All opinions are my own. It also includes affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Special Learning House at no extra cost to you!

Explaining autism to siblings (5 simple tips)

Explaining autism to a sibling can be tricky. Using the 5 tips below will help. Having the tools you need on hand will make the situation easier for you and your children.

  • Use the printable I prepared for you to help the conversation go more smoothly
  • Read books about autism
  • Focus on the positives while also discussing the difficulties
  • Use videos (see recommendation below)
  • Include your child with autism in the conversation if appropriate

Make sure you download and print out the conversation prompts I prepared for you to get the most out of this post!

How does autism affect siblings?

Before we get started, it is important to understand how autism affects siblings. What is the impact of having an autistic sibling? Of course, it depends on each individual person, the age of the children, and the family dynamic overall.

Having a sibling with autism can have both positive and negative aspects. It is beneficial for both children’s development to have sibling if they are able to play and interact with one another. The challenges come if the neurotypical child is not getting enough attention within the family unit, feels left out or isn’t able to express his or herself much the time due to the autistic child’s overwhelming needs, difficult behavior and other issues that make come up when raising a neurodiverse family.

Explaining autism to siblings book

I recommend you use the book, , as well as the printable conversation prompts I prepared for you as support for having a conversation with your child.

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures

I love the book The Girl Who Thought in Pictures : The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin. It’s a fabulous book that explains the life and journey of Temple Grandin and it’s also a great tool for talking about autism with kids because it explains autism in simple and straightforward terms.

Explaining autism to siblings 

Plan a conversation with your child or children to get started. Explaining autism to kids will be easier if you break the conversation down into parts. I think it’s important to plan a conversation around the following 3 main topics.

3 main conversation topics

  • What is autism?
  • Different not wrong (difference and neurodiversity)
  • How to accept and interact

What is autism?

“Autism refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.”

In order to make this easier for a child to understand, you may want to share that their autistic sibling navigates the world differently than they do. They tend to “think in pictures” as Temple Grandin explains in “The Girl Who Thought in Pictures”. Share some recent examples from your daily life of when each sibling saw the situation differently and reacted differently to it. Which brings us to our next topic – difference and neurodiversity.

Make sure you download and print out the conversation prompts I prepared for you to get the most out of this post!

Individuals with autism are different not wrong (difference and neurodiversity)

This is a great opportunity to discuss difference with your child. A child with autism thinks differently but this difference is not necessarily negative, just different.

Use “The Girl Who Thought in Pictures” book to discuss difference and neurodiversity. Point out that although Dr. Grandin has autism and learned to speak much later than other children, perhaps like your child with autism, she learned early to understand how animals think which influenced her whole life and career.

Each person has their own unique strengths and challenges based on the ways they think, interact with, and interpret the world around them. All of our differences are what make our world interesting!

Acceptance and interaction : how to accept and interact

Now that your child understands autism a little bit better, it’s time to think of some creative ways he or she can interact with your little one on the autism spectrum.

Regardless of the age of your children, the best way to encourage successful interaction is through shared interests and activities.

Walk your kids through listing some of their favorite things and activities and see where they overlap. If your children are young, sensory activities and play is typically a great way to get started.

There are lots of activities on this blog for your to choose from. Some of my favorites are

  • Autism activities (28+ of the best autism activities)
  • Sensory toys
  • Dinosaur sensory bins
  • Dinosaur play dough mats
  • Sensory boxes for autism

Conversation Prompts

Make sure you download and print out the conversation prompts I prepared for you to get the most out of this post!

The printable conversation prompts I prepared for you include a page of prompts that you can use with The Girl Who Thought in Picture book. You can use the first page of the printable conversation prompts even if you don’t have the book!

Explaining autism to siblings video

Using a video to explain autism and have a conversation about the topic is one of the best strategies. This is one of the best videos I have found on the topic!

Make sure you download and print out the conversation prompts I prepared for you to get the most out of this post!

More Autism Learning Resources

  • The Successful Interaction with a Child with Autism Course – learn to better understand your autistic child or students with this complete course.
  • Autism Activities Workbook Bundle – build communication skills, fine motor skills, sensory play skills and daily living skills, while helping your child or students to successfully manage any difficult behaviors, with these fun, educational, printable activities.
  • Sensory Communication Workbook – Build communication skills with simple sensory activities.
  • How to Make a Communication Binder Guide & Workbook – Learn how to create a Communication Binder for your child or student with autism using real photos. Follow my expert guide to learn how to use it to increase communication skills.
  • Zoo Animals Play Dough Mats Bundle – use these printable play dough mat to work on the names of the animals, build language skills, and increase fine motor strength and precision in a fun, sensory way!

More Autism Parenting Resources

  • Journal Prompts for Moms
  • Self-Care Rituals
  • Coping Strategies (10 strategies for autism moms)
  • Autism Mom Burnout (AVOID it with these 5 tips!)
  • Happiness Tips for Special Needs Moms (12 of my best tips)

Explaining Autism to Siblings

I hope these tips and conversation prompts help you explain autism more easily. Let us know how it goes in the comments below and let me know if you have any tips to add!

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First published September 11, 2017. Last updated July 7, 2021 with more information, additional tips, and better readability.

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Filed Under: Home programs, Parenting, Therapeutic materials Tagged With: explaining autism to siblings

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Alix Strickland Frénoy from Special Learning House.

Hi friend! I'm Alix, the girl behind this blog and founder and director of the Le Chemin ABA Learning House for children with autism and other special needs in Paris, France. I create educational activities and spaces to help children with special needs learn and thrive!

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