Special Siblings

New picture book tells siblings of kids with disabilities: 

You're not alone

“Special Siblings”, written by adult sib, now available on Amazon, for ages 3-8

I remember very clearly the night my brother, Billy, was diagnosed with autism. I was eight years old, and came home from school to find my mom crying in her room with the door closed. It was days before anyone would tell me why.

Everything was different after Billy's diagnosis. Our lives started revolving around his doctor appointments and therapy sessions. It was all very hard for me to understand at that age.

Beyond the logistical and scheduling changes that took over the household, there were also a whirlwind of emotions—both mine, my parents, and my brother’s. It was confusing to balance my love for my brother with feeling frustrated with him, or jealous of the attention he got. As I got older, those feelings became underscored with a keen sense of guilt and isolation.

Billy and Jessica

That’s why years later, I decided to create a picture book geared toward helping other young siblings feel less alone--and even discover the joy in our special sibling relationships. My hope is that this book will help young siblings see themselves and their feelings represented and validated in a simple, easy to understand picture book.

"What I especially like is that though this is written by the sibling of a person with a disability, it demonstrates that the sibling relationship isn't much changed by the fact that one of the individuals has a disability. All of the same emotions and experiences that occur between typical siblings also occurs between those who have some differences," says Ellen Garber Bronfeld, whose son has autism.

“This book should be in every home, school, and waiting room,” adds Teri Steinberg, disability advocate and autism mom.

Though the book is geared toward children 3-8, siblings of all ages seem to finding that the message still resonates.

"I enjoyed reading the book and realizing I'm not alone," said Carmi, an Amazon reviewer. "Thank you for writing this book."

"Special Siblings: Growing up with a sibling who has special needs" is available at: https://www.amazon.com/Special-Siblings-Growing-sibling-special/dp/1686677324/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8.

For more information, e-mail specialsiblings@gmail.com.