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Journal Article This article provides examples of programs that successfully involve fathers and offer strategies to promote father involvement in the lives of young children with disabilities. Although some are loosely based on recommendations from well-regarded programs and initiatives that do not specifically target children with disabilities, they can be incorporated into Early Childhood Special Education programs with modifications to best meet the unique needs of fathers of young children with disabilities. A variety of service providers will benefit from knowledge and use of the strategies…
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Journal Article Literature in developmental psychology suggests that mothers and fathers both play unique and important roles in their children’s development. However, research investigating the unique contributions and psychological functioning of fathers of youth with developmental disabilities, and the role that fathers play in effective intervention, remains limited. Whereas evidence suggests that parent-mediated interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can lead to increased engagement from parents, and reduced stress and psychopathology commonly experienced by parents of youth with…
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In fiscal year (FY) 2011, the Children's Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funded a group of demonstration grants to test the effectiveness of Family Group Decision-Making (FGDM) and how to best implement it. These projects used FGDM meetings and other teaming approaches as a means of family engagement and capacity building to strengthen protective factors and reduce risk factors for child maltreatment. Each project conducted its own evaluation and submitted a final report, and all grantees participated in a…
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Journal Article This review synthesizes findings from the literature about the impact of father involvement on children's literacy and language outcomes. Various proximal and distal factors influence levels of fathers’ involvement in literacy activities and fathers’ contributions to language development. Fathers’ education, income level, residence status, and relationship with the child's mother were indirect factors associated with children's literacy and language outcomes. Fathers also made unique, direct contributions to their children's literacy and language outcomes through the use of complex…
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Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) aims to promote preschoolers' school readiness by supporting parents in providing instruction in the home. The program model is designed for parents who lack confidence in their ability to prepare their children for school, including parents with past negative school experiences or limited financial resources. The HIPPY program model offers weekly activities for 30 weeks of the year, alternating between home visits and group meetings (two one-on-one home visits per month and two group meetings per month). HIPPY sites are encouraged…
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Journal Article We investigated how mothers' and fathers' depressed mood and father-child and mother-child relationship predicted preschool children's problem behavior. The sample was 11,286 continuously intact, two-parent biological families of the United Kingdom's Millennium Cohort Study. We found that mother-child relationship and maternal depressed mood had larger effects on children's problem behavior than father-child relationship and paternal depressed mood. The effect of paternal depressed mood was completely mediated by quality of father-child relationship. There were significant moderator effects…
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Journal Article Head Start programs offer a setting to examine support that facilitates father involvement. The Dakota Father Friendly Assessment (DFFA) is designed to evaluate an organization's level of father-friendliness. To establish its psychometric properties, a sample of North and South Dakota early childhood staff (N = 609) completed the DFFA. A number of measures were included as indicators of validity. Factor analysis of the DFFA confirmed the presence of four expected factors and revealed a fifth factor (loadings ranged from .40 to .80). Coefficient alphas for DFFA subscales ranged from .71 to…
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Journal Article Preschool children living in low-income families are at increased risk for poor outcomes; early intervention programmes mitigate these risks. While there is considerable evidence of the effectiveness of centre-based programmes in other jurisdictions, there is limited research about Canadian programmes, specifically programmes that include children and parents. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a single-site, two-generation preschool demonstration programme for low-income families in Canada. A single group, pre-test (programme intake) /post-test (programme exit) design with a 7-year-…
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Journal Article By age 3, children from privileged families have heard 30 million more words than children from underprivileged families. Longitudinal data on 42 families examined what accounted for enormous differences in rates of vocabulary growth. Children turned out to be like their parents in stature, activity level, vocabulary resources, and language and interaction styles. Follow-up data indicated that the 3-year-old measures of accomplishment predicted third grade school achievement.
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Journal Article Mobile technology presents an exciting opportunity for social workers to reach populations that are typically underserved by interventions and services. We present one application of technology that is particularly relevant to social work practice. The mDad (Mobile Device Assisted Dad) app was developed to augment existing social work practices by providing a father-friendly tool to help new fathers learn about and engage with their infants and toddlers. We discuss the process of developing the app content and conducting usability testing of the mDad app. We conclude with a discussion of the…
