Supporting siblings of children with a special educational need or disability: An evaluation of Sibs Talk, a one-to-one intervention delivered by staff in mainstream schools

Abstract

A group often overlooked for specific supports in schools are siblings of children with a disability, special educational needs or a serious long-term condition (SEND). In this article we review the current sibling research and identify a lack of literature on interventions, particularly within a school context. We then present a description of Sibs Talk, an example of a new school-based intervention to support siblings. Sibs Talk is a ten-session, one-to-one intervention approach for schools to complete with Key Stage 2 children who have a brother or sister with SEND. Finally, we present an initial evaluation of the effectiveness of Sibs Talk, using a pre and post evaluation format with a sample of 55 children from 11 schools. The data presented in this evaluation indicate that Sibs Talk may have contributed to positive outcomes for participating children.