33

While parents can clearly identify the effect their child’s disability has had on their parenting style and family dynamics, it would seem that there are certain characteristics in the way that parents perceive the impact of the child’s disability on their siblings. An analysis was undertaken of parental discourse during a support group for parents of children with learning disabilities and visual impairment. Six key indicators of parents’ understanding of the psychological issues faced by siblings are identified and explained: parental recognition of the difficulties encountered by the brother or sister as a result of their status, the difficulty for parents to witness the challenges faced by brothers and sisters of the disabled child, the positive effect of disability upon sibling relationships, the role that parents play in the kind of sibling relations maintained, the sibling’s role as a substitute for a parental role, and parental discourse veering to the disabled child rather than to their sibling.