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People with developmental disabilities often experience needs for support that extend beyond the caregiving capacity of their aging parents and their siblings tend to be looked to as next-generation support providers. Yet, sibling support relationships are distinct for their simultaneously obligatory and voluntary nature. This pilot exploration, using in-depth focus group data from five siblings of people with developmental disabilities, is aimed at enriching understandings of the nature of, and expectations surrounding, sibling support for brothers and sisters with developmental disabilities. Findings reflect how sibling support evolves over time and can manifest in siblings assuming roles of: (1) companion and protector; (2) follower; (3) caregiver; and (4) within family protector. Siblings are a vital resource, yet not one that can be assumed as automatically forthcoming.
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Bonnie Lashewicz (2018) studied this question.
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