“Someone will come in and say I'm doing it wrong.” The perspectives of fathers with learning disabilities in England

Abstract

When people with learning disabilities have children and become parents, they sometimes need good support to help them. Research about parents with learning disabilities and the support they get is usually about mothers and not fathers. There is not very much written about dads with learning disabilities. This paper is about interviews with eight dads with learning disabilities who told us about what it was like to be a dad and about the kind of support they had got. We think more support needs to be given to parents with learning disabilities and that dads should be included in this. Abstract: Background This article reports on the perspectives of fathers with a learning disability in England about being fathers and the support they have received. Although there is an established literature that considers parenting with a learning disability, few studies have focused on the perspectives of fathers. Method We adopted a qualitative approach for this study, using semi-structured interviews with eight fathers with learning disabilities, recruited through learning disability organisations and social media. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Being a father was important to participants and the findings are presented in three themes: descriptions of fatherhood; challenges of fatherhood; and support with fatherhood. Conclusion We discuss how fathers' perspectives on fatherhood relate to wider transformations of fatherhood in society, the impact of these on fathering with a learning disability and the implications for services.