Show Siblings the Love

How parents of children with ADHD can save neurotypical siblings from getting lost in the special needs shuffle.
When their parents go to teachers' meetings or to Wal-Mart to do a quick shop, Jesse, 9, looks after his bigger brother, Jim, 10, who was diagnosed with ADHD. "I have things to do myself -- homework, chatting with friends, listening to music -- but I love Jim," says Jesse, "so I put those things on the back burner for later."
Karen's sister, Amy, has been diagnosed with inattentive ADHD and anxiety. Karen is thinking about her little sister, but she secretly wishes family life could be "normal." Instead of having pizza delivered because Amy gets nervous around crowds and noise, "I think it'd be fun to go out for dinner and see a movie as a family."
Madelyn finds it challenging to be around her six-year-old brother, who has autism. "He can't talk to you, play with you, or help you," she says. "It's hard to help him when I want to try." She gets angry with her brother sometimes, but she prefers to bottle it up because she doesn't want to put more pressure on her parents.