The experiences of Dutch fathers on fathering children with disabilities: 'Hey, that is a father and his daughter, that is it'.
Dutch fathers of children with disabilities report a fresh, upbeat life view that BCBAs can use to strengthen family-centered plans.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers talked with Dutch fathers who raise children with disabilities.
They used long open interviews to learn how fathering feels day to day.
The team asked what changes when a child has extra support needs.
What they found
All dads shared a common story: a ‘new life perspective.’
They now live in the moment, expect less, and see more joy.
This view is different from the stress story we often hear.
How this fits with other research
Dyches et al. (2012) show positive parenting lifts child skills. The Dutch dads add the father voice to that claim.
Manor-Binyamini (2025) found Bedouin fathers pull back when stigma is high. Dutch dads stayed engaged, showing culture shapes paternal roles.
Thompson-Hodgetts et al. (2024) heard mothers of multiple disabled kids feel drained yet empowered. Dutch fathers mirror the upside but skip the exhaustion, hinting at a gendered split in how parents grow.
Heald et al. (2020) surveyed Dutch fathers of autistic kids and found most say support is out of reach. Mulder et al. (2020) still found joy, so lack of services does not erase paternal positivity.
Why it matters
You can tap this father optimism in your next family meeting. Ask dads what new strengths they see in their child and in themselves. Build goals around those answers. A quick ‘What’s one fun thing you did this week?’ opens the door and keeps fathers active in the plan.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Due to a predominant focus on mothers, fathers of children with disabilities are greatly overlooked in research. One could argue that there is a lack of research on the multifaceted nature of fatherhood altogether. Therefore, this study aims to gain insight into the perceived experiences of fathers of children with disabilities. METHODS: These perceptions were studied by analysing data generated through semi-structured interviews, which were conducted with 12 Dutch fathers of children or young adults with disabilities. RESULTS: Categories found during our data analysis were similar to those illustrated in the 'conceptual framework on responsible fathering' by including role identification, commitment, employment characteristics, cultural expectations and social support. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the fathers in this study reported similar experiences, but this study identified new life perspective as an additional category, which might be specific for fathers of children with disabilities. This new life perspective included a positive attitude, living in the moment, appreciation of the little things and transformation of expectations. Some fathers expressed that their child(ren) has enriched their lives, which positively influenced their fathering experience.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2020 · doi:10.1111/jir.12711