What’s it like to have a sibling with a disability? According to Charles Sturt University (CSU) PhD student Jacqueline Barr, “These children take on a parent-like role, they are jealous of the time their sibling gets from their parents, and they are worried about the child and their parents. I also found that siblings of a child with a speech impairment often act as a protector and interpreter”. But having a sibling with a disability can also make the child “more understanding of other people’s needs and more sympathetic to differences in other people,” she said. As part of her PhD studies, Ms Barr is developing an in-service program for teachers addressing the needs of these siblings. A paper on Jacqueline Barr’s research into the impact of being a sibling of a child with a communication disorder was recently accepted in the US journal Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools.