“They’re either afraid or ignorant”: Experiences of stigma and blame among fathers raising autistic children

Abstract

BackgroundFathers of autistic children experience courtesy stigma, or “stigma by association”, in ways that are distinct from experiences of mothers, yet most autism-related research is focused on white, middle-class mothers. We investigated courtesy stigma experienced by a small but diverse sample of fathers of autistic children. MethodUsing a narrative approach, we looked for evidence of courtesy stigma in stories collected through 13 interviews with 11 fathers about raising autistic children (aged 2-14 years). ResultsThe themes we generated pertained to, and went beyond, courtesy stigma experiences and included: 1- stigma toward the autistic child, 2- fathers feeling blamed, 3 – experiences of courtesy stigma including ethnic subgroup navigation of stigma and blame. Our final theme is: 4- fathers resisting stigma and blame through personal growth and openness. Deficit-oriented stereotypes of autistic people are embedded in societal structures and stigma and blame seep into fathers’ daily movements through professional, educational and public spaces as well as personal and ethnic subgroup networks. Fathers shared evidence of their vulnerability as parents and offered a glimpse of the push and/or pull they can encounter within their ethnic subgroup community. ConclusionsOngoing research on fathers’ experience is needed and we offer suggestions for capturing perspectives of fathers from specific racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We recommend that practitioners be sensitized to complex workings of stigma and blame that may leave fathers of autistic children inclined to avoid or delay diagnosis for fear of stigma.