Teach siblings about autism, including: what it means, how autism is diagnosed, typical symptoms and behaviors, and therapies their diagnosed sibling may attend. Give them time and space to ask questions about autism away from their diagnosed sibling. It is not uncommon for a sibling's friends to have questions so it is important that they feel informed and have an understanding about the diagnosis.

Make time for siblings to engage in age appropriate activities. Children with autism often spend a decent amount of time in various therapies which can fill up a family's schedule making it important to be intentional about finding time for siblings to attend age appropriate activities. Age appropriate activities for siblings can include sports, gatherings with friends, or school clubs.

Give siblings an opportunity to talk to you about how they are doing and how things may be affecting them. Check in with them directly, apart from their diagnosed sibling. Are kids at school kind to them regarding their sibling? Are there emotions that they want to discuss with you or situations they were unsure how to handle? Having open communication about their feelings, experiences, wants, and needs is key.

At times, siblings of diagnosed children can have increased responsibility placed on them such as attending to their siblings needs or caring for household activities while parents engage with their sibling. It is important to be mindful of extra responsibilities being placed on siblings and to make sure this is not adding stress or interfering with their time to enjoy childhood.

Finally, be intentional about making time for one-on-one time with siblings of diagnosed children. With therapies and added needs it can be easy to focus a large portion of time on their diagnosed sibling, and it is important to carve out time to engage with each child individually. This is a great time to engage in activities that may not be a good fit for their diagnosed sibling.