Rivalry between siblings is commonplace. Siblings vie for parental attention as well as access to family resources such as the television, computer, telephone and so on. However in families where there is a child with special needs the impact on the other siblings can take on added proportions.

By virtue of a child's special needs, more attention and parental and family resources are drawn to that child. This in and of itself can set the stage for resentment or animosity with other siblings. Further, additional responsibilities placed on the other siblings for the direct care of the one with special needs can add to bad feelings. The other siblings may surface questioning matters as, "Am I my brother's keeper"?

From the social work perspective, it is often cited that children should not take on parental duties. When this does occur we refer to such children as "parentified". The connotation is negative and the concern is that the child may have responsibilities beyond their ability to handle causing them to face ongoing failure or, it may build resentment when their burdens feel greater than observed in their friends.

The truth is though that having a sibling with a special need can provide remarkable opportunity for the other siblings to learn lessons in humanity. Far from the concern for negative implications, positive outcomes include sensitivity to others and a remarkable ability to contribute to the betterment of society be it at the local community level on behalf of disadvantaged populations, or the larger community through social action and social policy.

As such, to be one's brother's keeper is not inherently bad or good. The outcome will more likely depend on the temperament of the child and how the needs of the child with special needs are managed in view of resources and the needs of the other siblings. Strategies to facilitate the positive adjustment and support of the other siblings include....

Full article here: http://www.lady4justice.com/articles/sibling-issues-when-one-has-special-needs

KIDS, a charity that works with disabled children, young people and their families, has surveyed over 900 people working across play and leisure provision and disability services in England. They found that most providers still do not have the resources or support needed to deliver good quality inclusion. 

As a result, parents are not confident to leave their children in mainstream services and prefer to place their children with specialist providers. This lack of choice is further excluding disabled children and young people from their communities at a period when all children are experiencing a restriction in their ability to play out in their local area. Parents of disabled children who responded to the survey expressed concerns that disabled children are more likely to be victims of bullying and face further isolation. 

You can download the report and survey responses here:

www.kids.org.uk/information/108381/kids_playday_survey_report_2013/

A ground-breaking research project funded by Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children is investigating a new treatment to help prevent some of the world’s most common birth defects. The treatment – which uses DNA-boosting nucleotides – could be used in conjunction with folic acid to boost its effectiveness in combating neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, in early pregnancy.

A medical study published on 9th August 2013 in the journal Brain shows that, when tested in mice, the new treatment reduced the incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs) by 85 per cent. This treatment was also successful in preventing some kinds of NTDs that are currently unresponsive to folic acid. The research team believes the findings could make way for future trials in patients, to investigate whether the same level of prevention can be achieved for human neural tube defects.

NTDs like spina bifida and anencephaly are among the most common birth defects in the world, affecting around every one in 1,000 pregnancies, with much higher rates in some countries. Commenting on the new research, Nicholas Greene, Professor of Developmental Neurobiology, said:

'We are still in the early stages of this research, but we hope that these promising results in mice can eventually be replicated with human NTDs. If it is found to be effective, this nucleotide treatment could boost the effects of folic acid and offer expectant mothers an even more reliable safeguard against relatively common defects like spina bifida.

'While we continue our research into this new treatment, it’s important to emphasise that folic acid supplements remain the most effective prevention against NTDs currently available for women who are planning a baby. While we are greatly encouraged by these new findings, I would strongly urge women to continue taking folic acid in its current form until we reach a point where additional supplements might become available.'