Anniston Connections: The Importance of Peer Relationships and Shared Experiences

How Anniston Academy's sibling-inclusive model creates opportunities for social development, understanding, and belonging

Peer relationships are an important part of childhood development. Through interactions with other children, students learn to communicate, negotiate, cooperate, resolve disagreements, and develop friendships. For children with autism and other developmental conditions, these opportunities can be especially important, yet they are not always readily available, especially in traditional educational settings.

At Anniston Academy, we recognize that social development cannot be addressed through direct instruction alone. Children also need meaningful opportunities to interact with peers, develop relationships, and practice skills in natural environments. Our Anniston Connections initiative builds on this understanding by encouraging peer relationships among students with varying abilities and developmental needs. One particularly valuable aspect of our model is the inclusion of siblings, many of whom bring years of firsthand experience with autism and other special needs.

The Research Behind Peer-Mediated Learning

Peer-mediated interventions are well-established approaches in autism education and intervention. Rather than relying exclusively on adults to facilitate social interactions, these approaches involve peers in creating opportunities for communication, engagement, and shared activities. A 2019 systematic review published in Autism examined 22 studies of school-based social communication interventions. Researchers found that these interventions could increase the frequency and duration of social initiations and responses among elementary-aged autistic students.

More recently, a systematic review published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders examined 24 studies of peer-mediated interventions for children ages 6–12. Most studies reported improvements in targeted social skills, although the researchers noted that evidence regarding long-term outcomes remained limited.

These findings support the use of thoughtfully structured peer interactions as part of a comprehensive educational approach. At Anniston Academy, we recognize that meaningful social development involves more than increasing the number of interactions a child has with others. The quality of those interactions, the child's willingness to participate, and the development of genuine relationships are equally important.

The Advantage of a Sibling-Inclusive Environment

One of the unique characteristics of Anniston Academy is our inclusion of siblings within our school community. For many children who grow up with a sibling with autism or another developmental disability, differences in communication, sensory processing, behavior, and daily routines are familiar parts of family life. These children often have firsthand experiences that cannot be replicated through a brief disability-awareness lesson. They may already be familiar with augmentative and alternative communication, recognize when someone needs additional processing time, or understand why certain environments and transitions can be difficult. That familiarity can provide a valuable foundation for peer relationships.

Our sibling-inclusive environment creates opportunities for students with disabilities to interact with peers who may already have an understanding of their experiences and communication differences. It also provides opportunities for siblings to develop relationships with students outside their own families.

However, we recognize that familiarity does not automatically translate into expertise. Siblings have their own developmental needs, personalities, and experiences. Their participation in peer activities should be voluntary, age-appropriate, and centered on friendship rather than caregiving responsibilities.

Siblings Need Peer Connections, Too

Research increasingly recognizes that siblings of children with disabilities have their own social and emotional needs. A 2021 systematic review by Watson, Hanna, and Jones examined 15 qualitative studies involving 164 siblings of autistic children. Researchers identified several recurring themes involving personal development, sibling relationships, interactions with others, and coping.

The findings demonstrated that growing up with an autistic sibling can involve both positive and challenging experiences. Siblings described affection, empathy, and personal growth, but also experiences that could be difficult to communicate to people outside their families. For some children, family life includes therapy appointments, behavioral challenges, differences in communication, or adjustments to everyday activities that their classmates may not understand. Others may experience conflicting emotions, including pride in their siblings alongside frustration, worry, or a desire for more individual attention. These experiences vary considerably, but they highlight an important consideration: siblings benefit from having opportunities to connect with others who share similar family circumstances.

At Anniston Academy, our sibling-inclusive model creates these opportunities naturally.

Children who have siblings with special needs can develop friendships with other children who understand aspects of their home lives that many of their peers have never experienced.

They can discuss their experiences without feeling obligated to explain every detail of their family dynamics. They can also develop relationships in which their own interests, accomplishments, and identities are recognized independently of their siblings' disabilities. This is particularly important because siblings are sometimes unintentionally overlooked when educational and therapeutic resources are primarily directed toward the child with a disability.

What Research Says About Sibling Support

The benefits of connecting siblings with others who share similar experiences are also supported by emerging research. A randomized controlled trial published in Autism in 2020 examined a support group for siblings of autistic children. The intervention provided opportunities for participants to discuss their experiences, learn coping and problem-solving strategies, and develop relationships with other siblings. Researchers identified improvements in some mental health outcomes.

A more recent scoping review of sibling support programs similarly found that participants frequently valued having a safe environment to express their feelings and connect with peers who understood their experiences. These findings are significant because they suggest that supporting siblings should involve more than educating them about their brother's or sister's diagnosis. It should also involve recognizing their own experiences and providing opportunities for social connection and emotional support.

Although Anniston Connections is not a clinical sibling support group, our school model creates opportunities for these relationships to develop through shared educational and social experiences.

Building Social Skills Through Everyday Interactions

Peer relationships also provide opportunities to practice skills that are difficult to develop exclusively through adult-directed instruction. During cooperative activities, classroom projects, games, and unstructured social opportunities, students encounter situations that require communication, flexibility, perspective-taking, and problem-solving.

For autistic students, these experiences can support the generalization of skills learned through individualized educational and therapeutic interventions. For their peers, interactions with children who communicate and learn differently can encourage greater understanding of disability and individual differences. A 2021 systematic review of peer training programs found improvements in typically developing students' knowledge of autism, attitudes toward autistic peers, and ability to support peer interactions.

At Anniston Academy, we want these relationships to develop in ways that are appropriate for each student's communication abilities, interests, and individual needs. A successful peer interaction does not always involve conversation or conventional cooperative play. For some students, participating in a shared activity, communicating through an AAC device, or tolerating another child's presence during play may represent meaningful progress. Our goal is not to make every student interact in the same way. It is to provide opportunities for students to build relationships and develop social competence while respecting their individual differences.

Supporting the Entire Family

Families of children with disabilities frequently navigate educational, therapeutic, and logistical challenges that extend beyond the needs of one child. Anniston Academy's sibling-inclusive approach recognizes that the experiences of brothers and sisters are an important part of the larger family system. By welcoming siblings into our educational community, we create opportunities for children within the same family to share school experiences while also developing independent friendships and relationships.

We also create opportunities for siblings from different families to find common ground. A child who has never met another student with an autistic sibling may suddenly find classmates who understand the routines, experiences, and challenges that are familiar at home. That connection can help children recognize that their family experiences are not unusual or something they need to conceal. It can also provide opportunities for friendships based on shared understanding rather than simply shared interests or age.

More Than a Peer Buddy Program

Anniston Connections reflects our belief that meaningful inclusion requires opportunities for reciprocal relationships. Students with special needs should not be viewed simply as recipients of peer support, and siblings should not be expected to assume responsibility for helping or supervising other children. Instead, we recognize that all students bring different strengths, experiences, and perspectives to their relationships.

Peer-mediated learning offers an evidence-based approach to supporting social communication and participation. Research on sibling experiences also reinforces the importance of recognizing and supporting brothers and sisters as individuals with their own needs. By bringing these two concepts together, Anniston Academy is creating an educational environment where peer relationships can benefit students across a range of abilities and family experiences.

For our students with special needs, it means more opportunities to develop authentic friendships and social connections. For their siblings, it means opportunities to build relationships with children who understand a part of their lives that others often do not.

At Anniston Academy, we believe both deserve attention and we believe schools have an important role in making those connections possible.

Research Supporting This Approach

Sutton, B. M., Webster, A. A., & Westerveld, M. F. (2019). A systematic review of school-based interventions targeting social communication behaviors for students with autism. Autism, 23(2), 274–286.

Ragaglia, B., Trovato, I., & Bulgarelli, D. (2026). Peer-mediated social skills interventions in primary school settings for autistic children in the light of the ICF bio-psycho-social model: A systematic review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 56, 1074–1097.

Watson, L., Hanna, P., & Jones, C. J. (2021). A systematic review of the experience of being a sibling of a child with an autism spectrum disorder. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 26(3).

Angell, M. E., Meadan, H., & Stoner, J. B. (2012). Experiences of siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Autism Research and Treatment, 2012, 949586.

Birnschein, A. M., Paisley, C. A., & Tomeny, T. S. (2021). Enhancing social interactions for youth with autism spectrum disorder through training programs for typically developing peers: A systematic review. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 84, 101784.