title: Quality of Life in siblings of autistic patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the Quality of Life (QoL) among siblings of autistic patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Casuistic: siblings of autistic patients (n = 31) and, as a control group, siblings of patients with speech disorder (n = 30).
  
  
  METHODS
  age between 7 and 11 years old; absence of current mental disorder; regular attendance to school.
  
  
  METHODS
  antecedents of clinical or psychiatric diseases; disabilities (visual, auditive or motor); antecedents of cognitive and/or intelligence disabilities. Instruments included a questionnaire which evaluated the quality of life in a subjective way.
  
  
  RESULTS
  it was observed worse QoL among siblings of autistic patients (p = 0.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The hypothesis that the quality of life was compromised in children (aged 7 to 11) by the presence of an autistic sibling was confirmed, and was worse than that of siblings of children with speech disorders.
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Service (SEPIA), Institute of Psychiatry, Medical School, University of São Paulo (FMUSP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adriana Regina Ferreira
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Marciano
authors.forename: Cláudia Ines
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Scheuer
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012801:Sibling Relations; D035781:Siblings; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000523:psychology