Father-focused parent education : including fathers in early intervention programs
In spite of the recognition of the father’s unique contribution to a child’s development, fathers are consistently absent from early intervention programs. In order to understand the reasons for their absence, focus groups were conducted in Quebec with fathers and early intervention practitioners. Qualitative analyses of the participants’ discourse reveal that fathers don’t feel included in existing services, which are perceived as traditionally feminine. Fathers prefer dynamic and concrete activities accompanied by informal discussions on paternity issues. Father-oriented programs should be active, dynamic, have explicit developmental goals and offer activities where parent education is integrated with individualized interventions.