Fathers experiences of sleeping problems in children with autism
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of fathers in the management of sleeping problems in children with autism and their perspectives of the impact of these difficulties on family life.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews with 25 UK-based fathers of children with autism were undertaken.
Findings
Two-thirds of fathers reported that their children experienced severe sleeping problems in the areas of bed-time resistance, sleep onset and night-time waking. Fathers were significantly involved in the management of these difficulties and reported a range of associated deleterious impacts on the family, including significant negative effects on paternal and maternal health, father’s employment, couple relationship and sibling experiences.
Research limitations/implications
The interview sample cannot be said to be representative of all fathers of children with autism since the backgrounds of those taking part were relatively homogeneous in respect of ethnicity, marital status and level of education.
Practical implications
Improvements in effective, family-centred provision are urgently needed which employ a co-parenting, gender-differentiated methodology.
Social implications
Given the severity and frequency of difficulties, sleeping problems in children with autism should be viewed as a significant public health concern.
Originality/value
This is one of the first studies, qualitative or quantitative, to explore the role and perspectives of fathers of children with autism in the important area of sleep management.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: This study was funded by the Leverhulme Trust as part of the Research Fellowship scheme (Grant Number: RF-2013-343). Funders were not involved in any aspect of the design or implementation of the research.
Many thanks to the 25 fathers of children with autism who took time out of very busy lives to be interviewed. Thanks also to Dr Chris Whittaker for his on-going support throughout the research project and in particular for his comments on this paper. Finally, thanks to Roger Olley, MBE, Phil Heslop and Professor John Carpenter for their expert contribution to the verification group for the study.
Citation
Potter, C.A. (2017), "Fathers experiences of sleeping problems in children with autism", Advances in Autism, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 100-111. https://doi.org/10.1108/AIA-06-2016-0017
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited