A PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF SIBLINGS OF CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

The study focuses on families of children with developmental disabilities. Objective: Because the relationship between siblings who grow up in the same family can be a very important part of one person's life, this study aims exploring the perceptions and experiences of siblings of children with developmental disabilities. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the perceptions and experiences of fifteen typically developing siblings who had a brother/sister diagnosed with intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyze the interviews. Results: Five main themes yielded from the analysis: i) Siblings' perceptions on the impact their brothers' condition has on their lives, ii) Siblings' positive attitudes toward the experience, iii) Siblings' perceptions on the implication their brothers' condition has on their social life, iv) Siblings' perceptions on their family interactions, v) Siblings' acceptance of their brothers' condition