Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Dr. Rolande Murray

Abstract

AbstractAs the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in American children has increased over the past decade, many local and state agencies are seeking avenues to become more efficient in the type of training services they offer. One such training is referred as Autism Parent Training (APT). The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between fathers’ participation in APT and the factors related to involvement with their children prior to training and after attending training. This study relied on the developmental learning perspective as a theoretical framework, which asserts that the experience a person has in his/her life can contribute to defining one’s parenting style. The focus of this study was a group of 42 fathers who have children with ASD and who attended APT class. The Fathers of Children with Developmental Challenges scale was used to evaluate the fathers with regards to their feelings of stress, coping strategies for stress, ideas about responsibility, and ability to be involved. The group was evaluated prior to the training period, immediately after the end of the training, and 30 days after the training period. A one-way ANOVA with repeated measures and a paired t test were conducted to compare changes in performance across time for each of the dependent variables. The study did not produce a significant effect as the sample size was too small. The study was modified from its original design due to COVID: face-to-face training and recruitment that was replaced by online training and recruitment. If the study could have been completed in its original format, the result could have been significantly different. This study highlights the gap in knowledge regarding support for father involvement and children with ASD, a critical area for positive social change.

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