Special Siblings: Growing Up with Someone with a Disability Revised Edition

About this book

In this absorbing and candid book Mary McHugh reveals what she experienced as the sister of a man with cerebral palsy and mental retardationand shares what others have learned about being and having a special sibling. Weaving a lifetime of memories and reflections with relevant research and interviews with more than 100 other siblings and experts McHugh explores a spectrum of feelingsfrom anger and guilt to love and prideand helps readers understand the issues siblings may encounter in childhoodsuch as dealing with their own needs for attention and information identifying with their parents grief understanding their siblings disability and coping with their own feelings adolescencesuch as participating in family discussions fitting in with peers searching for their own identity and talking to a counselor or therapist adulthoodsuch as building a support system navigating adult relationships deciding whether to have children and planning for their siblings future care Emotional and enlightening this book is a must-read for teen and adult siblingsand all professionals who support people with disabilities and their families.