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64 TPC D igest to also help support their families’ well-being. The fathers who participated in this study were recruited from the local site of a multistate mental and behavioral health service agency in a small, rural town in the northeastern United States. The fathers’ reported occupations were oil professional, meteorologist, stay-at-home father and professor. Their ages were 59, 37, 54 and 36 respectively. All of the fathers reported to be White. All of the fathers in this study had sons diagnosed with Asperger’s disorder, a specific form of autism as designated by the text revision of the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders ( DSM-IV-TR ). The sons’ ages were 14, 16, 11 and 6, and they were diagnosed with Asperger’s disorder at ages 8, 6, 7 and 3 respectively. Themes emerged for all of the fathers for each of the three research questions. The fathers stated that discovering a clear communication system was the most rewarding aspect of raising sons with Asperger’s disorder. The fathers identified behavioral issues as the most challenging aspect of raising sons with the disorder. They also reported that acceptance was the most effective coping strategy for the challenges associated with raising sons with Asperger’s disorder. Counselors who might engage with these fathers are encouraged to consider humanistic counseling strategies, in order to help fathers make meaning of the experiences and processes associated with raising sons with Asperger’s disorder, instill hope in the fathers through strength-based counseling interventions, and demonstrate empathy with the fathers. Considerations for additional research also are presented in the article. The Professional Counselor DIGEST Volume 4, Issue 4 http://tpcjournal.nbcc.org © 2014 NBCC, Inc. and Affiliates Full article and references: Hannon, M. D. (2014). Smiles from the heart: Humanistic counseling considerations for fathers of sons with Asperger’s disorder. The Professional Counselor , 4 , 363–377. doi:10.15241/mdh.4.4.363