PERCEIVED COMPETENCE AND BEHAVIORAL-ADJUSTMENT OF SIBLINGS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

Compared 19 siblings of severely autistic children with 20 siblings of children with Down syndrome and 20 siblings of developmentally normal children. Results reveal that siblings of autistic children have more internalizing and externalizing behavior problems than siblings of de velopmentally normal children; however, the three groups did not diffe r significantly on measures of perceived self-competence or parents' r eport of social competence. Examination of demographic variables indic ate that age of sibling and parents' marital satisfaction were associa ted with siblings' psychological functioning. Implications for future research are discussed