Volume_4_Issue_4_Digest

TPC D igest 63 Smiles from the Heart: Humanistic Counseling Considerations for Fathers of Sons with Asperger’s Disorder – DIGEST Michael D. Hannon Michael D. Hannon, NCC, is an assistant professor at Montclair State University. Correspondence can be addressed to Michael D. Hannon, Department of Counseling and Educational Leadership, 3190 University Hall Montclair State University, One Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043, mhannon@getac.org. I n an effort to contribute to the counseling knowledge base regarding fathers of children with autism, this article reports the results of an in-depth, narrative inquiry study of four fathers of sons with Asperger’s disorder. The study investigated what fathers reported as the rewards, challenges and coping strategies associated with raising sons with this specific form of autism. The research process included interviewing each father once with a semistructured interview protocol, transcribing the interviews verbatim and confirming their accuracy with participants, and extensively reviewing the transcripts in close detail for coding, categorizing and identifying themes that the fathers communicated based on the frequency of shared words and messages. Autism rates are increasing; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in March 2014 that one in 68 children in the United States is diagnosed with a form of autism. Counselors confront the challenge of staying abreast of appropriate clinical interventions to support individuals with autism and