Many brothers and sisters of people with autism will feel the need for some form of support during their lives, but that support may vary between individuals. 

The types of support that a brother or sister may wish to access may fall within the following categories:

  • talking with friends or someone from outside of the family
  • talking with other brothers and sisters 
  • talking to a professional
  • reading personal accounts written by other brothers and sisters.

Talking with friends or someone from outside the family

Talking with a friend or with a person from outside of the family may be a comfort to many siblings, and offer a different or fresh perspective on things. A sibling may not even wish to talk about their family dynamics - they may just wish to talk freely about other issues without interruption.

Talking with other siblings

Siblings may wish to make contact with other siblings experiencing similar issues. There are websites set up specifically for siblings (see 'Websites for siblings', below), local support groups and sibling workshops.

For the contact details of local NAS Branches and other support groups who may have sibling groups, contact our Autism Helpline. Tel: 0808 800 4104 (open Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm).

Barnardo's runs a number of groups around the country for siblings of disabled children. Some of these groups are for both disabled children and their brothers and sisters. For more information about what is happening in your area, telephone your area office:

  • Northern Ireland: 02890 672366
  • London and South East England: 020 8551 0011
  • Midlands: 0121 550 5271
  • North East England: 0191 281 5024
  • Scotland: 0131 334 9893
  • North West England: 0151 487 5313
  • Wales and South West England: 02920 493 387
  • Yorkshire: 0113 258 2115.

Contact a Family puts people in touch with support networks throughout the country. Contact a Family has an excellent fact sheet for siblings. Further information is available on 0808 808 3555.

Kids is an organisation which runs play, education and social initiatives for disabled children and young people with disabilities. Siblings may alsomorefurther information, telephone 020 7359 7635 or email enquiries@kids.org.uk

Talking with professionals

There are different professionals who a sibling could talk with. This depends on the age and circumstances of the sibling. The professional may be a teacher, a social worker, a health professional or a trained counsellor.

Our Autism Helpline has a list of qualified counsellors who have experience of working with people with autism and their families. If you feel that talking with a trained counsellor would be beneficial, one of our Helpline advisers can search for counsellors for you. Some of the counsellors on the database specifically work with siblings. 

If siblings feel that they could approach a teacher, a social worker or a health professional about any difficulties they may be experiencing, our Information Centre can give professionals information about autism. Tel: 0808 800 4104 or email info@nas.org.uk (open Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm).

Websites for siblings

There are websites and chat groups that have been set up for brothers and sisters of people with autism. These include: 

Information for younger children which helps to explain what autism is can be found on our website: www.autism.org.uk/youngersibs