Are you an only child or do you have brothers/sisters?

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Okay, so I was wondering about this this morning. It's not necessarily an autism-related topic, which is why I didn't put it in the general autism discussion subforum. It's just a general question about whether you are an only child, or have brothers and/or sisters (or a brother or a sister). I am an only child, and I theorise that this may have something to do with how I look at the world around me in terms of social dynamics, community, stuff like that... because I've always been the center of my mother's attention in the house, without having to take into consideration the daily presence of a brother or a sister. While I don't believe that it has influenced or 'intensified' my autism, I do believe that being an only child influences how I reply to some of the threads here on WP that are about social interaction and community.

So, what is your own experience in growing up as either an only child or with brothers/sisters? Maybe you have brothers/sisters who are on the spectrum like you, or maybe not.

Sorry to keep my own story a little bit short, but I've recently started working again, so I've little time before heading off to work again, but I wanted to get this off my mind first. Have at it, it's always interesting to read your responses.

I have one brother who is five years older than me. He isn't on the spectrum.
We are a bit 'distant'.

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I have a younger brother who is less than 2 years younger than me. He's gifted and when we were growing up he went to a special school for gifted students. So while I had a learning disability and an IEP in school, my brother flew through his education with A's and B's. We were both very spoiled as children but always well behaved and respectful to everybody. My mom was very protective of us, especially me because of my learning disabilities. My brother isn't on the spectrum, he's very quiet but he has a lot of friends and he's almost ready to graduate from university. I went to college and I've already graduated but I'm going back to school this September.

I'm an only child.

only child

I have one sister who is about a year and a half older than me. She's not on the spectrum nor does she have any mental health problems. I think we used to be quite close, still are to some extent but she has her own family now so doesn't really have time.

I have brother who's 12 and is borderline/mildly on the spectrum and a bit like me in that respect, he also has anger problems. Also a sister who's 9 and has an NT brain, but is very hyperactive and a little insecure and craves attention because of that. It's often mistaken as just being an obnoxious s**t, but she really just needs reassurance and to be liked. Also being the youngest in the family doesn't help.
I also have a late brother who died when he was 16 months old and I was 6, he would be 14 by now.

Only child, but i've had two step sisters.

Urgh, don't remind me.

Yes, I have siblings, they're all just younger than me (and a little bit half brained ).

I have a little brother who's 16 and not on the spectrum. He's a little mischievous, but he's a good person and funny. We've always been pretty close

I have one sister, she's 2 years older than me.

I have one sister who's three years younger than I am. We were never really that close. I liked the 60s and she liked the 90s, growing up. She didn't like anything from the 60s and 70s and I didn't like much from the first half of the 90s. That caused a lot of friction between us. She can't be sarcastic about the 60s any more, because she's now in the position to teach my niece to accept and tolerate individual differences. In a way, I've won in the end.

I have a sister who is 11 years younger than I am.

I'm an only child. People often say they feel sorry for me because it's just me and my mum in the house, but to be honest I find it quite peaceful and close friends make excellent substitutes for siblings.

I'm the youngest of my sibilings, I have a brother and a sister.

I have two brothers. They are both younger than me less by five years.