“How to Stay Connected With Your Sibling"
By Bethany Light, Chairman of the Cerebral Palsy Group
In Facebook Groups I belong to, I always see questions about how to stay connected with your sibling when he or she lives far away, whether that be because of the location of a facility equipped to help your sibling thrive or because of financial, school, or work-related reasons. Some ideas which have helped me stay connected with my sibling since moving to college are video calls, phone calls, and visits.
Video Calls, such as through Skype, can be especially helpful if your sib is nonverbal. Skype and phone calls work well because I can easily talk to my brother on my phone while going about daily activities like cleaning or driving. We pick specific times to call and video chat and the schedule helps my brother feel more secure through a routine. By talking through video calls, my brother doesn’t feel lonely or abandoned.
I also try to visit as often as my schedule allows - but sometimes visits do become scarce, which is when the calls and video chats become extremely important in maintaining a relationship.
Some other great ways to keep in touch with your sibling while you’re away are through sending cards, making a binder of photos to give your sibling, making a DVD or slideshow with photos and video clips of you and your sib, or even writing a book with a recording of your voice reading it.
Basically, just get your creative juices flowing to figure out what works best for you and your sib!
Citation: picture from: http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/chat-friends-of-friends/429841
Siblings with a Mission is an international organization established to serve and support siblings of individuals with special needs. All images are found on Google images and are solely used for education purposes. The stories and advice provided by Siblings with a Mission are not to be replaced by professional advice and counseling but to be considered as an additional source of support.
By Bethany Light, Chairman of the Cerebral Palsy Group
In Facebook Groups I belong to, I always see questions about how to stay connected with your sibling when he or she lives far away, whether that be because of the location of a facility equipped to help your sibling thrive or because of financial, school, or work-related reasons. Some ideas which have helped me stay connected with my sibling since moving to college are video calls, phone calls, and visits.
Video Calls, such as through Skype, can be especially helpful if your sib is nonverbal. Skype and phone calls work well because I can easily talk to my brother on my phone while going about daily activities like cleaning or driving. We pick specific times to call and video chat and the schedule helps my brother feel more secure through a routine. By talking through video calls, my brother doesn’t feel lonely or abandoned.
I also try to visit as often as my schedule allows - but sometimes visits do become scarce, which is when the calls and video chats become extremely important in maintaining a relationship.
Some other great ways to keep in touch with your sibling while you’re away are through sending cards, making a binder of photos to give your sibling, making a DVD or slideshow with photos and video clips of you and your sib, or even writing a book with a recording of your voice reading it.
Basically, just get your creative juices flowing to figure out what works best for you and your sib!
Citation: picture from: http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/chat-friends-of-friends/429841
Siblings with a Mission is an international organization established to serve and support siblings of individuals with special needs. All images are found on Google images and are solely used for education purposes. The stories and advice provided by Siblings with a Mission are not to be replaced by professional advice and counseling but to be considered as an additional source of support.
