Experiences of raising children with autism Fathers perspectives

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to address the gap in the literature related to fathers role and experiences in raising boys with autism in the Indian context. Though the study has tried to homogenise the sample to the best possible extent it does not aim to generalise the results; rather it seeks newlineto get an insight into some facets of the fathers experiences. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used for this study which addressed the three research questions: 1) What are the experiences of fathers before and after the diagnosis of autism? 2) What are the challenges that fathers experience as they raise their child with autism? 3) What are the personal changes that fathers go through as they raise their child with autism? Tied together these research questions sketches the journey travelled by the fathers and gave a sweeping picture of their overall newlineexperiences as fathers of children with autism. The study has mapped and constructed the passage of thirteen fathers of children with autism aged between six to 11 through a one on one interview. All the ethical newlineconsiderations have been followed. The participants were able to provide a rich and detailed account of their experiences of bringing up a child with autism. The analysis was done using Interpretative Phenomenologic alAnalysis. newlineSix major themes emerged from the study. They are 1) Making sense of early warning signs 2) The impact of diagnosis 3) Negotiating the social world 4) Accepting and accommodating autism 5) Personal transformations 6) Bonding with the child. One of the earliest behaviours noticed by all the fathers was a delay in speech. None of the fathers resisted going for a diagnosis. In fact, once they found that something was different in their child, they relentlessly pursued the reason for it.