Abstract
In recent years, there have been numerous parent training studies of children with autism that provide strong empirical support for these parent-mediated approaches. However, to date, most report findings from mothers, and fathers continue to be underrepresented. This is unfortunate in that fathers have been prominent figures throughout history. Furthermore, there is clinical and preliminary empirical evidence that informed and empowered fathers can significantly contribute to child development and the overall quality of life for all family members. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to discuss current literature about the unique role that fathers play in raising a child with autism, identify common paternal reactions to an autism diagnosis, describe how male learning styles may affect parent training approaches, discuss clinical implications related to father involvement, and identify areas for future research.
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Elder, J.H. (2018). Engaging Fathers in the Care of Young Children with Autism. In: Siller, M., Morgan, L. (eds) Handbook of Parent-Implemented Interventions for Very Young Children with Autism. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90994-3_16
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