The devastating effects of mental illness have been well documented in films, books, and academia. But until recently there has been little said about the sisters and brothers of the mentally ill. Now researchers are starting to look at what they’re calling the “well-sibling” syndrome.Listen to this story as it appeared on NPR’s Weekend Edition. [...]

Impact of Mental Illness On Well Siblings:  A Sea of Confusion Adapted from an article by Thomas C. Jewell, Ph.D., in THE JOURNAL, published by the California NAMI. It is now understood that mental illness in a family creates a ripple effect that can capsize well siblings, and lead them to feel as though they [...]

Siblings of the Mentally Ill Often Feel Forgotten by Karen Brown Listen Weekend Edition Saturday Download May 19, 2007 The devastating effects of mental illness have been well documented in films, books and academia. But until recently there has been little said about the sisters and brothers of the mentally ill. Now, researchers are starting [...]

What is sibling abuse? Sibling abuse is the physical, emotional or sexual abuse of one sibling by another [1]. The physical abuse can range from more mild forms of aggression between siblings, such as pushing and shoving, to very violent behavior such as using weapons. Often parents don’t see the abuse for what it is. As [...]

Autism: The Humanoid Finding another way to connect with kids By Richard E. Meyer 9/1/2010     Photograph by Dustin Snipes When he’s sad, he hangs his head and says, “Awww.” When happy, he smiles and says, “Um-hmmm.” Wanting attention, he gestures with his arms. Bandit is a humanoid robot used in experiments with children [...]

Autism: Action Plan If your child recently received an autism diagnosis, here’s what to do 9/1/2010 Illustration by Garcia Lam   Move Forward Quickly With a diagnosis comes denial, anger, even despair. But you are wasting time if you don’t move swiftly through the grieving stages toward acceptance. The earlier the therapeutic intervention—before your child’s [...]

Autism: Rooms to Grow It will require patience and perseverance to hit upon the winner, but the right school for your child is out there By Wendy Witherspoon 9/1/2010 Finding the right school for your child is all about the fit. The same special-education program that works well for a student with moderate autism may [...]

Autism: An Advice Column How to talk to the parent of a child with autism 9/1/2010 Illustration by Gracia Lam DON’T SAY: “My kid has tantrums like that.” Your intent to reassure is admirable, but it ends up coming off like “autism is no big deal. “She’s autistic? She looks normal.” So all those doctors [...]

Autism: Puzzling Pieces L.A. leads the state in autism cases. Here are some answers to the big questions 9/1/2010 What is autism? It’s a pervasive developmental neurological disorder—not a disease—that impairs communication skills, learning abilities, and social interaction. What are the early signs? Traits typically show up when children are around three and include obsessive [...]

Autism: By The Numbers The latest statistics 9/1/2010 Increase in people with autism served by regional centers between 1987 (2,701) and 2007 (34,656).  Average age at which autism is diagnosed. The earliest symptoms aren’t detected for 6 to 12 months. Ratio of males to females with autism who are in California’s department of developmental services [...]