According to a new study, children with autism are more likely to be bullied by their classmates and also their siblings, revealing they have no time off from bullying for them, at school and home.
Researchers of the study also found that children with autism spectrum disorder have more likelihood to be both be both the victims and perpetrators of sibling bullying compared with those without autism, also known as neurotypical children.
The study, being of the very few investigating sibling bullying and autism, observed a sample of more than8,000 kids, more than 231 of whom had ASD. It drew on data from the Millennium Cohort Study, which follows the lives of about 19,000 teenagers born across the UK in 2000-01.
For the study, children were asked questions about how often were picked or hurt on purpose by their siblings and peers and how often were perpetrators. The study found that, at age 11, two-thirds of children with ASD reported being involved in some form of sibling bullying, compared with half of the children without autism.
While bullying got less frequent for children in both groups by the time they reached 14, autistic children were still more likely to be involved in two-way sibling bullying.
Lead author of the study, Dr. Umar Toseeb from the University of York, said that the research was beyond the usual sibling squabbling that was a normal part of growing up but looked at children who had a persistent conflict with their siblings.
He said, “Children with autism experience difficulties with social interaction and communication, which may have implications for their relationships with siblings.”
He further added, “From an evolutionary perspective, siblings may be considered competitors for parental resources such as affection, attention and material goods – children with autism might get priority access to these limited parental resources leading to conflict and bullying between siblings.”
According to the research, those children who had picked on or been bullied by a sibling, regardless of whether they had autism or not, were more likely to experience emotional and behavioural difficulties later in their adolescence.
Researchers are calling for more resources to help autistic children and their parents identify and deal with bullying behaviours in the home, particularly earlier in childhood.
Toseeb said, “Parents should be aware of the potential long-term consequences of sibling bullying on children’s mental health and wellbeing.”
