Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Sister-To-Sister: A Phenomenological Study Of Women’S Experiences Of Having A Sister With Autism Spectrum Disorder Based On The Female Autism Phenotype, William Gregory Carroll

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the amount of material currently available on autism spectrum disorder (ASD), little research has been done specifically on females with ASD. Several studies have looked at the various relationships that individuals with ASD have, but to date no known study has been done specifically on the sibling relationship between neurotypical and autistic sisters. In this study, through semi-structured interviews, four neurotypical women reported on their lived experiences of having a sister with ASD. Their accounts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis informed by the theory of a unique female autism phenotype. Six superordinate themes appeared in the work: social …