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prejudice and the social difficulties in accepting difference force
siblings to face challenges, difficulties and complicated
emotional experiences. Special occasions, such as birthdays
and being out in the public-social space, may cause dilemmas
and individual and familial stress.
Siblings cope in a variety of ways: from avoidance (siblings
avoid asking friends home) to blunt and aggressive exposure
(attacking those who watch them in the public space) or even
joining the aggressors (making fun of their sibling along with
other children or ignoring her when in the presence of friends).
A person’s social intelligence develops, among other factors, as
a result of the patterns of his/her interaction with his/her
surroundings, and the relationships with other people influences
his/her quality of life. The family and the peer group are
involved actively and dynamically in the growth and
development of the person from child to adult, and to a large
degree from his/her personality and behavior patterns in the
future.
The siblings’ relations with their psycho-social surroundings and
their pattern of interaction with peers contribute significantly to
their emotional-social development. Bad social relations may
delay and disrupt their development. According to various
authors, the social stigma emphasizes the social significance of
the difference in the eyes of the typical sibling, and the child
with a disability makes the family different from other families.
This difference may cause difficulties for the siblings, especially
if they encounter reactions or questions from their environment
that make them feel shame, guilt, hurt, etc. The label that is
attached to the family as a whole comes with a social price, and
as a result of the stigma, siblings may react with withdrawal,
distancing themselves from friends; at times, the stigma may
damage their self-image.
The agencies treating the child and the family should provide to
each family member the required resources, including an