Fathers of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Literature Review

Abstract

Objectives: The involvement of parents in raising children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is crucial for both the child’s development and family functioning. However, studies relating to parental involvement in parenting children with ASD mainly focus on the mother’s perspective, resulting in a lack of understanding of the father’s role. On the other hand, the father involvement in parenting plays a vital role in children, partners, and family dynamics. Methods: The current research is a literature review utilizing a database called Scopus. The main objectives of the paper are to examine predictors of father involvement in parenting children with ASD and to provide an overview of fathers’ experiences in raising children with ASD. Results: A total of 100 articles were found. After the screening and review process, 21 articles were included in the main review. The literature review found that studies relating to father involvement in parenting children with ASD are dominated by research on the impacts on parents and descriptions of fathers’ experiences raising children with ASD. Discussion: Therefore, it is necessary to conduct studies on the predictors of father involvement in parenting children with ASD. In addition, the majority of studies on the parenting of fathers of children with ASD examine the issue from a Western perspective, thus necessitating broader studies. The research limitations are outlined in the article.