Author Amy McCoy Sheds Light on the Unique Needs of Super Siblings
To benefit parents, Brookville Center for Children’s Services (BCCS) social workers organize parent workshops based on topics selected from parent surveys. This month, Author and Presenter Amy McCoy led a workshop on “Super Siblings,” addressing the unique needs and experiences of children growing up with a sibling with a disability. There’s no doubt that raising a child with special needs has its ups and downs or that parents can easily become overwhelmed by the unknowns and feel isolated in the process. This doesn’t have to be the case.
Amy created the “Little Big Sister” series, which describes what it is like to grow up with a sibling who has autism. Amy says her children inspire her work. She has two children, a son with a disability and a younger, typical daughter. After releasing her book in 2016, she began presenting to connect with parents with a shared experience.
“It’s really important for parents to have access to other parents who are a little bit ahead of them on the road,” said Amy. “So that they have guidance and support on how to move forward.”
Around a dozen BCCS parents attended the Zoom presentation to listen and share their questions with Amy. The presentation began with Amy reading a passage from her book. Then she went deeper into what a typical sibling may be experiencing. She touched on the complex emotions a typical sibling may be experiencing like guilt, a need to be perfect and even resentment due to parents’ unequal distribution of time. To address these feelings, Amy recommends prioritizing one-on-one time with their typical child to acknowledge their emotions and communicate honestly.
She also shared resources and discussed navigating the reality of diverging life paths for their children. “When I realized that my daughter was surpassing my son,” said Amy. “I just realized that they are just on two different courses which are both important and appropriate courses.”
A part of the presentation that helped parents feel seen was her sharing that it’s normal for parents to go through a cycle of grief realizing that parenthood may not look like what they expect it to look like. The overwhelming response from parents was positive as they learned how to embrace the differences in their children and learn from others in similar situations.
“Our workshops are available to all parents at Barbara C. Wilson and Post Avenue Preschools,” said Social Worker and event organizer Nora Silbersack, LCSW. “They provide emotional support and helpful resources.”
Parents can learn about upcoming workshops through Class Dojo or by contacting their school social worker.