Just Fun or Fundamental? Fathers’ Narratives of Leisure with Their Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Abstract
Anchored in the generative fathering framework and critical disability studies (CDS), I used a narrative approach to study 11 fathers’ stories of leisure with their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to highlight how leisure activities are given meaning and constructed as part of active fathering. I produced four narratives - narratives of action, narratives of adjustment, narratives of tension and narratives of relationships that captured fathers’ experiences of leisure with their children with ASD. Narratives of action are the stories of what fathers are doing in their day- to- day interactions with their children. Narratives of adjustment depict how fathers have shifted and re-defined expectations of their children and themselves following their children’s diagnosis of ASD. Narratives of tension capture fathers’ strain in concurrently having to acquiesce and advocate against financial, environmental and societal constraints. Lastly, in narratives of relationships, fathers illustrate the relational outcomes of their involvement with their children, including an appreciation of their children’s individuality and the father-child connection. The findings augment a deeper understanding of fathering children with ASD and the father-child relationship. By understanding fathers’ perceived successes and challenges in leisure activities in the home and community settings, service providers can better engage and support fathers in home- and community-based leisure.
Description
Keywords
Education--Special, Recreation, Health Sciences, Recreation
Citation
Mitchell, J. (2017). Just Fun or Fundamental? Fathers’ Narratives of Leisure with Their Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26696