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Sibshops
Workshops for Siblings of Children with Special Needs, Revised Edition
By Don Meyer, M.Ed., & Patricia Vadasy, Ph.D.

When it comes to organizing workshops for siblings of children with special health and developmental needs, Sibshops is just what communities need. The enormously popular Sibshop model has been used in more than 200 communities in eight countries, and the long-awaited revision of this exemplary guide makes it easier than ever to create and run successful, cost-effective sibling support group programs.

Sibshop programs provide opportunities for brothers and sisters of children with special needs to obtain peer support and education within a highly recreational context. Organizers and families appreciate that the workshops take a wellness approach, and the siblings who attend the workshops appreciate that they're fun and engaging. Highly practical and user-friendly, Sibshops is filled with straightforward instructions, photocopiable forms, more than 100 fun games and activities, and sage guidance on how to start, fund, and run a Sibshop.

Essential for agencies that serve families of children with disabilities, social workers, parent-to-parent programs, early intervention programs, developmental disability councils, child life specialists, and parents, this guidebook offers an inexpensive and easy-to-implement solution to addressing siblings' needs in a way everyone can enjoy.

ORDERING INFO
ISBN 1-55766-783-0
Paperback
264 pages /7 x 10
2008 / $34.95
Stock# 67830

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Table of Contents

About the Authors
Foreword
Tom Fish
Preface
Acknowledgments

1. What Are Sibshops?

    Who Attends Sibshops?
    Who Sponsors Sibshops?
    Who Runs Sibshops?
    What Is the Optimal Number of Participants in Sibshops?
    When Are Sibshops Offered?
    How Often Are Sibshops Held?
    What Are the Goals of the Sibshop Model?
    How Do We Become a Registered Sibshop?

2. Unusual Concerns

    Overidentification
    Embarrassment
    Guilt
    Isolation, Loneliness, and Loss
    Resentment
    Increased Responsibilities
    Pressure to Achieve

3. Information Needs of Siblings

    Information Needs According to Age
    Avoiding Misconceptions about the Condition
    Providing Brothers and Sisters Needed Information
    When Siblings Think about the Future
    Information at Sibshops
    Adult Siblings

4. Unusual Opportunities

    Maturity
    Self-Concept and Social Competence
    Insight
    Tolerance
    Pride
    Vocational Opportunities
    Advocacy
    Loyalty
    Conclusion

5. Getting Started

    Cosponsors
    Participants
    Financial Issues
    Facilitators
    Location
    Times and Dates
    Publicity
    Registration and Budget Management
    Conclusion

6. Putting It All Together

    Awareness and Recruitment Activities
    Planning for Your Very First Sibshop
    An Annotated Sibshop Schedule
    The Activity Planning Form
    Evaluating Your Program
    Conclusion

7. Introductory and Trickle-In Activities

    Facetags
    Group Juggling
    Human Bingo
    "I Am" Poem*
    Favorites I
    Favorites II
    Strengths and Weaknesses
    Two Truths and a Lie*
    Knots
    Instant Replay
    Snowball Fight
    Go Stand in the Corner!
    Sibtree*
    Sibshop Action Art
    The Name Game
    True Facts*
    Telephone
    The Web
    When You're Hot, You're Hot!
    M&M Game*

8. Sibshop Discussion and Peer Support Activities

    Time Capsules
    Moccasins
    Sound-Off
    Tanabata*
    Dream Pillows*
    Superheroes*
    Discussion Gift*
    Dear Aunt Blabby
    The M&M Game*
    Feelings on a Rope*
    Three Wishes*
    Wheel of Feelings Beanbag Toss
    Same and Different
    My Sib & Me
    Strengths and Weaknesses, Jr.
    Two Bug Activities: That Bugs Me!* and The Love Bug*
    Graffiti Wall
    Inside/Outside Bags or Masks*
    Sibling Slam Book*
    Open Discussions
    Conclusion

9. Sibshop Recreational and Food Activities

    Games—New and Otherwise
    Presenting Sibshop Recreational Activities

        Airport*
        Altoids Versus Wint-O-Greens!*
        Backlash
        Balloon Birdseed Beanbags*
        Balloon Duo
        Balloon Stomp
        Beach Ball Bounce*
        Behavior Modification
        Blindfold Sort Out*
        Blob Tag
        Body Part Musical Chairs*
        Body Surfing
        Caterpillar
        Centipede
        Commons
        Dangling Donut Eating Contest
        Dot's Dot
        Do You Want to Buy a Duck?*
        Fingerprint Pictures
        Fox and Chickens*
        Hog Call
        Hug Tag
        Human Pinball
        Human Spring
        Instant Replay
        Islands
        Keep the Balloon in the Air*
        The Lap Game
        Last Details
        Last Kid Standing*
        Lean-Two
        Mime Rhyme
        Mouse Trap
        Muscle Beach*
        Mutual Monsters
        Mummy*
        Nose Toes
        Pass the Orange
        Prui
        Psychic Shake
        Pushpin Soccer
        Red-Handed
        Scrabble Scramble
        Sightless Sculpture
        Snowball Fight*
        Stand-Off
        Stand Up
        Tag-O-Rama
        That's a Wrap!*
        Trains, Planes, and Automobiles*
        Triangle Tag
        Tug of War
        Ultimate Nerf
        Undercover Leaders
        Vampire
        Whispers!*
        Wind in the Willow

    Sample Sibshop Food Activities
    Conclusion

10. Information Activities, Guest Speakers, and Special Events

    Written Sources of Information
    Sibshops as Information Sources

11. Workshops on Sibling Issues for Parents and Service Providers

    Sibling Panels
    A Workshop on Sibling Issues
    Informal Discussions for Parents of Sibshop Participants
    Other Resources for Parents and Service Providers

References

Appendix A: The Sibshops Standards of Practice
Appendix B: Books for Young Readers on Siblings and Disability Issues
Appendix C: A Brief Description of the Sibshop Model
Appendix D: What Siblings Would Like Parents and Service Providers to Know
Appendix E: Sample Sibshop Registration Form
Appendix F: Dear Aunt Blabby Letters

Index

* Denotes a new activity or game

Comments about Sibshops

Sibshops is a terrific book! Don Meyer integrates his extraordinary wisdom and experience with the growing body of research about the relationships between sisters and brothers when one has a disability. Then by including many very thoughtful details and sensitive explanations and examples, Don show how caring parents and professionals can create Sibshops and continue his pioneering work in local communities everywhere."

--Stan Klein, Ph.D., Co-founder, Exceptional Parent Magazine

Although the book has only 236 pages, each chapter is treated with incredible depth and much humor. The reader can only be in awe of that the authors, through ingenuity and clarity, could consolidate so much detailed information, all the while entertaining the reader... In their efforts to provide a guideline for organizing support groups for siblings of children with special needs, Meyer and Vadasy have created a treasure. It is a book from which all service providers may benefit. Presented with sensitivity and humor, this powerful and scholarly guidebook may prove to become a classic of its kind."

--Thelma Alpert Blumberg, MA, NCSP, National School Psychologist Communique, November 1997

This book is aimed at parents of children with special needs, adult siblings, and professionals who work with families. It is highly accessible, informative, and a pleasure to read. The text is interspersed with cartoon drawings and pictures that add considerably to the general "sparkle" of the whole work. It is overall positive, optimistic, and inspiring. I want to organize a Sibshop tomorrow!

--Christine Eiser, University of Exeter (U.K.), Journal of Pediatric Psychology, March, 1996

See additional praise for Sibshops: Workshops for siblings of children with special needs!

Sibshops may also be purchased from the Sibling Support Project Amazon Associate Astore