Abstract
Fathers have been largely neglected in previous research of families of autistic children. We compared fathers of 20 autistic, 20 Down syndrome, and 20 developmentally normal children on several measures of psychosocial adaptation. Groups were matched on child's adaptive behavior age equivalent, gender, birth order, family size, and SES. The three groups differed significantly on measures of intrapersonal and family functioning but not on social-ecological variables. Fathers of children with autism or Down syndrome reported more frequent use of wish-fulfilling fantasy and information seeking as coping strategies as well as more financial impact and disruption of family activities than did fathers of developmentally normal children. There were few significant differences between fathers of children with autism and those of children with Down syndrome. These results suggest that fathers adapt relatively well to the demands associated with raising a child with a developmental disability.
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We greatly appreciate the help of numerous research assistants and we extend special gratitude to Tina Brown, Michael Simpson, Diana Walker, and Michael McCullough for their assistance. Special thanks also are extended to the Autism Society of America, Down's Parents of Memphis Organization, the University of Tennessee Child Development Center, Parent-to-Parent, Inc., and Alachua County Schools. We express our deepest appreciation to the courageous and resilient families that participated in this project.
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Rodrigue, J.R., Morgan, S.B. & Geffken, G.R. Psychosocial adaptation of fathers of children with autism, down syndrome, and normal development. J Autism Dev Disord 22, 249–263 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01058154
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01058154