The Odd Man Out: How Fathers Navigate the Special Education System

Research about parent experiences with the special education system is largely dominated by the perspectives of mothers. Using purposeful sampling techniques, we interviewed 20 active fathers about their experiences navigating the special education system. All the fathers described three primary rol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Remedial and special education 2014-01, Vol.35 (1), p.40-49
Main Authors: Mueller, Tracy Gershwin, Buckley, Pamela C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advocacy
Advocacy services
Barriers
Cooperative Planning
Experience
Fathers
Gender Differences
Individualized Education Programs
Interviews
Parent Attitudes
Parent participation
Parent Role
Parents
Qualitative Research
Sampling
Sampling techniques
Sex Role
Special Education
Teams
Teamwork
United States (West)
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Summary:Research about parent experiences with the special education system is largely dominated by the perspectives of mothers. Using purposeful sampling techniques, we interviewed 20 active fathers about their experiences navigating the special education system. All the fathers described three primary roles they experienced, including acting as a partner, advocate, and student. With respect to each of these roles, the fathers also described feeling as if they were not a part of the team, describing themselves as “the odd man out.” Each construct is discussed in detail, along with implications for practice.
ISSN:0741-9325
1538-4756
DOI:10.1177/0741932513513176