| Becoming a parent is a joyous occasion. Mothers and fathers alike have great expectations for their offspring, either to follow in their own footsteps or to make a better life for themselves. In today's society, mothers are most often assumed to be the primary caregivers of children. However, fathers are increasingly taking on the role of primary caregiver for a variety of reasons. Research has shown that fathers who are primary caregivers face biases in society and by professionals, which impact their experience and ability to successfully carry out that role. Parents of children with disabilities bear additional stress, and must develop coping mechanisms to deal with that stress. When fathers are treated differently by the professionals who are necessary to help their children make progress, that also causes stress and impacts their ability to adequately advocate and care for their child. Professionals who work with children in the field of psychology, education, or medicine need to become more aware of the biases they have regarding fathers as caregivers and the microaggressions they commit toward them. By being aware of the ways that they treat fathers differently, professionals can change the way they interact with fathers, and treat them as the experts on their children and contributing members of the child's treatment team. |
