New measure for fathers of children with developmental challenges.
A new 20-item father survey gives you a fast, reliable way to see what supports or blocks dads of kids with developmental delays.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team built a short survey just for dads. They called it the FCDC.
Twenty questions ask about helpful people and roadblocks dads face.
One hundred twenty-three fathers of kids with developmental delays filled it out online.
What they found
The survey held together well. Alpha was 0.89.
Two clear themes popped out: supports and barriers.
Dads could finish it in under five minutes without getting confused.
How this fits with other research
Cançado et al. (2011) looked at 16 family tools and said most lack solid stats. The new FCDC adds a father-only option that meets their call for better rigor.
Mohamed et al. (2024) later asked UAE dads the same kind of questions and also found fathers want more training. The FCDC gives teams a ready scale to repeat that survey in English-speaking groups.
Seidman et al. (2012) used a similar online survey with autism dads, but they measured personality traits, not supports. Same method, different focus — no clash.
Why it matters
You now have a free, quick scale that speaks directly to fathers. Use it during intake to spot what dads need most — rides to clinic, evening classes, or simply a listening ear. When you fix the barriers the FCDC flags, you boost father engagement and, in turn, child progress.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: There is a relative lack of measures tailored to the study of fathers of children with developmental challenges (DCs). The goal of the current study was to create and validate a brief measure designed to capture the perceptions and experiences of these fathers. The Fathers of Children with Developmental Challenges (FCDC) questionnaire was designed to assess fathers' perceptions of the supports for, and challenges to, their efforts to be involved in the rearing of their children. METHOD: Participants were 101 fathers of children with DCs who completed an online survey. Scale validation included tests to determine reliability, validity and factor structure. Used to establish validity were measures of parenting stress, parenting commitment, parent personality and child social-communicative skills. RESULTS: Analyses indicated that the FCDC is reliable (α = 0.89), demonstrates content validity, construct validity and acts in theoretically expected ways. Factor analysis on the 20-item measure yielded two sub-scales: (1) impact on parenting, and (2) involvement with child intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The FCDC fills a gap in the literature by offering an easy-to-administer self-report measure of fathers' perceptions of supports for, and barriers to, their involvement with their children with DCs. The FCDC could assist professionals in delivering support services specifically for fathers of children with DCs.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2014 · doi:10.1111/jir.12044