Chamois R-1 Special Education teacher Dan Montgomery is seeking help to complete his doctorate through Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz., a journey that began a little over four years ago.
His focus is on the role fathers play in a home with an autistic child, something with which he has plenty of experience.
“I would say my motivation for this direction in my life has been my oldest daughter (20) on the autism spectrum,” said Montgomery. “I grew up in a rural area and have served in numerous capacities in rural areas my entire life. I had often looked at my life as a timeline for special education because when I began school in the early 70s, special education was developing. The Individuals with Disabilities Act brought to reality the need for parents of children with disabilities to participate in the education process. Advocacy is the process of addressing needs on behalf of an individual with a disability.”
Research indicates that families with a member on the autism spectrum experience more anxiety and stress than those with other disability categories. Often, the process of advocating for children with autism has been documented as having a higher rate of conflict and issues with local schools.
“The advocacy process has been reactive on many occasions,” said Montgomery, noting that in rural communities, limited staff, difficulties recruiting qualified teachers with experience with autism, and limited access to resources have influenced how parents of children with disabilities in general, and autism in particular, engaged in advocacy. “Parents in rural communities are primarily dependent on the school for services beyond education,” he said. “Also, rural families depend on special education teachers of rural schools as the primary advocate for their family.”
The role of mothers has been the focus of most studies on caregivers of children with disabilities. However, research is needed for the perceptions of mothers and fathers of their advocacy for their child with a disability. Previous research studies have recruited more significant numbers of mothers in comparison to fathers.
“Many professionals perceived fathers as more supportive of their partners and less involved in the day-to-day care of children with autism than mothers,” said Montgomery. “Fathers of children with autism may struggle to advocate for their child's needs due to systemic barriers, such as weak family-teacher partnerships, feelings of intimidation, and a lack of confidence in the school's ability to provide services to their child.”
He added that a key to effective services for a child with autism must include an understanding of the role of both parents. “My current research project on fathers of children with autism who attend a rural school in the midwestern United States will balance the existing body of research,” said Montgomery.
In the final stage of this doctoral journey, Montgomery said he requires help from some dads in rural areas.
For this research, he will conduct a 60-minute interview with fathers of children with autism who attend a rural school via Zoom conferencing software. Montgomery will also be conducting two focus group sessions (60-90 minutes) composed of six fathers each. Everything is completely confidential, and no names or locations will be used. He will be recording each audio conversation to assist with data collection.
Each participant will receive a $15 Amazon gift card for the individual interview and an additional $15 Amazon gift card for focus group participation.
Montgomery said this study will help future policymakers understand regional differences of rural areas, such as limited access to services, transportation limitations, high poverty levels, and less access to affordable health care.
“A better understanding of fathers' perceptions of autism may better inform services to fathers of children with autism,” he added.
Dads who are interested in participating should call Montgomery at 417-770-3750 or visit www.ruraldadsasd.weebly.com.