The Challenge of Managing Children with Autism from Fathers’ Perspectives

Abstract

It is widely known that parents of children with autism encounter various challenges in raising their children. Reports related to previous studies indicated that these parents experienced higher stress compared to parents of typical children. However, the study pertaining to fathers of children with autism has not been explored, and it has left a gap in the study of parenting in relation to children with developmental problems, especially autism. Therefore, this study was conducted to understand the challenges faced by fathers in managing children with autism. This study used semi-structured interviews as a research tool and sampled five fathers of children with autism between the ages of four and nine years of age. The study was conducted in Langkawi Island, Kedah. The results found that fathers have to cope with challenges from an emotional aspect in accepting and managing children with autism.