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How to allocate the family resources (time, attention, etc.) more
equally among the siblings?
Is it right to burden siblings with more responsibilities and roles
than their peers?
How to respond to negative feelings towards the sibling with
disabilities, when they arise?
Several intervention programs for parents were developed around
these and other issues.
1. Parental guidance:
Is carried out as a meeting between the sibling’s parents and a
professional. The session focuses on their uncertainties regarding
the sibling and giving parents counseling and tools to better
handle their difficulties. The basic assumption in parental
guidance is that parents know their child better than anybody else
and that they have a significant influence on him/her. Some
parents require guidance in how to provide the sibling with the
support and solutions he/she needs.
2. Learning group:
Participation in a parent group helps many parents to gain
information and share dilemmas they have regarding siblings. The
group enables sharing of emotional experiences and learning from
the life experience of other parents who deal with similar issues.
The group serves as a learning laboratory where parents gain
objective knowledge while at the same time they engage in open
discourse with other parents. They share experiences and learn
from each other different ways of coping.
3. Three session workshop:
At this workshop, parents share experiences and situations from
their family life. Emphasis is given to communication within the
nuclear family and the various ways in which difference, emotions
and the struggles that family members go through can be