Attunement and Paternal Characteristics in Care Relationships in the Presence of Children Diagnosed with Autism

Magda Di Renzo, Viviana Guerriero, Andrea Pagnacco, Massimiliano Petrillo, Lidia Racinaro, Simona D’Errico and Federico Bianchi di Castelbianco
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Magda Di Renzo: Institute of Orthophonology (IdO) of Rome, 00198 Rome, Italy
Viviana Guerriero: Institute of Orthophonology (IdO) of Rome, 00198 Rome, Italy
Andrea Pagnacco: Institute of Orthophonology (IdO) of Rome, 00198 Rome, Italy
Massimiliano Petrillo: Institute of Orthophonology (IdO) of Rome, 00198 Rome, Italy
Lidia Racinaro: Institute of Orthophonology (IdO) of Rome, 00198 Rome, Italy
Simona D’Errico: Institute of Orthophonology (IdO) of Rome, 00198 Rome, Italy
Federico Bianchi di Castelbianco: Institute of Orthophonology (IdO) of Rome, 00198 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-13

Abstract: Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have to address various challenges mainly due to their children’s atypia related to communication, emotion regulation and behaviors, arising also within the relationship with their caregivers. Several studies have pointed out that children with ASD can exhibit many difficulties regarding initiating and maintaining meaningful relationships with others. To date, little research has explored the interactions between children with ASD and their fathers, focusing more on mothers. In the context of parent–child interactions in the presence of autism, recent studies have highlighted the importance of parental attunement but there is little research considering solely the affective-bodily dimension. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the parental attunement in fathers of children with ASD observed during play interactions and to investigate the relationship between paternal attunement and the perception of their psychological characteristics related to care relationships. The results highlight that fathers who describe themselves as better in affective care and sensitivity toward others more likely have an absence of paternal attunement during play interactions. The data presented are discussed in the light of intervention hypotheses, aimed at improving the relationship between fathers and children with autism.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; fathers; parental attunement; caring abilities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:4:p:2010-:d:501908

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