Sibling Intervention Raising a child with a disability will have an impact, positive or negative, on the structure of a family system. Research on how various disabilities affect family functions focuses primarily on parents. Siblings are rarely included in research, yet they can provide a stable and powerful developmental context for social-emotional development. First Friends Sibling interactions provide children with their first socialization experiences. Young children spend much of their days with siblings as playmates and role models. Children have the opportunity to experience companionship, sharing and even rivalry. Siblings typically model a wide variety of behaviors and serve as guides to the world outside the reach of family influence. They develop important skills that include communication and social skills as they interact and imitate each other in their daily routines. The family system The brother or sister of a child with a disability is affected in the same way as his parents. They can exhibit the same emotional stages. They may experience negative feelings. They usually feel deprived of their parents' time and attention. To accept the sibling, it is the attitudes and expectations of the parents that will determine the harmony, interactions and eventual relationships of their children. Secure maternal attachment of children increases the likelihood that siblings will experience an authentic, non-antagonistic bond (Schuntermann, 2007). Many variables, such as age, gender, family size, culture, nature and severity of disability affect the sibling relationship...... middle of document ......l & Physical disabilities , 22(1) , 83-100.doi:10.1007/s10882-009-9171-7Schuntermann, P. (2007). The sibling experience: Growing up with a child who has a pervasive developmental disorder or mental retardation. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 15(3),93-108. doi:10.1080/10673220701432188Sibshops. (2009). About Sibshop. Retrieved from http://www.siblingsupport.org/sibshops/index_htmlTaeyoung, K., & Horn, E. (2010). Intervention implemented by siblings for the development of skills with children with disabilities. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 30(2), 80-90.doi:10.1177/0271121409349146Tekin, E., & Kircaali-Iftar, G. (2002). Comparing the efficacy and effectiveness of two response procedures delivered by sibling tutors. Education and training on mental retardation and developmental disabilities, 37(3), 283-299.