With social difficulties, homework hassles and after-school meltdowns, a parent’s focus can often be squarely on the child with Aspergers. Siblings can struggle to get their fair share of Mum/Dad’s time and attention. Here is one sibling’s take on the situation:

Positives:

You can learn lots from them, as they can teach you heaps about their special interest
When they change interests, you can learn lots about that too
When they want to play with you, they focus really well and concentrate just on you
They can be very loyal and protective

Negatives:

If you’re younger than the Aspie child, they can physically threaten or hurt you
They can get angry and lose their cool quickly
You have to spend a lot of time going to appointments
Mum/Dad spends a lot of time with him/her, and not with me

Take a moment to think about your other children – how does Aspergers affect them?

Parent-to-Parent:

Keep watch that younger children are not being intimidated
Explain behavioural issues carefully to the Aspie child, and make sure they know/understand a better way to behave
Follow through with consequences for misbehaviour. It's important that you are seen to be fair with all children in the family.
Spend special one-on-one time with the sibling(s), to make up for the extra attention the Aspie child gets.
Check out sibling support groups / clubs that might be of interest
Try to keep things as normal as possible for the siblings - play-dates and extra-curricular activities especially.
Watch out for signs of depression. If you think it might help, ask your GP to create a Mental Health Care Plan for the sibling, so you can access Medicare rebates for psychology. (Australia only)
See my Working the Aspergers System Guide for more strategies and financial supports.