Sibling issues when one has special needs: Am I my brother's
keeper? Sibling issues when one has special needs: Am I my
brother's keeper? 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 well 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
well siblings for the direct care of the one with special needs
can add to bad feelings. The well 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 c