ATTENTION ALL DADS! "SHOP TALK" GROUP FOR FATHERS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM 【North Delta BC】

Miriam Elfert is a graduate student at UBC and is conducting a study to learn about what it's like for fathers of children with autism to participate in a weekly discussion group with other fathers. You are invited to participate in this study.

Shop Talk is a group developed specifically for fathers of children with autism to meet and talk about their experiences of parenting. Each group will consist of 6-8 fathers who will talk about different topics every week, including the challenges of parenting a child with autism, stress management, and how having a child with autism has affected their relationships with friends and family members.

You are eligible to participate if you: 1) are the father of a child with autism who is younger than 11 years old and who was diagnosed between 6-18 months ago, 2) are currently married or in a common-law relationship, 3) are committed to attending all of the weekly group sessions, and 4) are not currently receiving psychotherapy or taking medication for mental health issues.

Participants will be assigned to 1 of 2 groups, which will run consecutively. Each group will consist of nine, 2-hour weekly group sessions, for a total of 18 hours. Sessions will take place at a regular, convenient time for group members each week at the Play and Learn Centre at 11425 - 84th Avenue in North Delta. In total, the time commitment for the study will be 18 hours for the group sessions and approximately 3 hours for completion of the questionnaires, for a total of 21 hours.

Shop Talk is offered free of charge to participants. To cover the cost of transportation, participants will receive $10 for every Shop Talk session they attend, plus an honorarium of $20 for participating in the study, for a maximum of $110.

Please call Miriam Elfert at (604) 677-7911 or email her here. In the event that you don't meet all of the eligibility criteria but you are still interested in participating, please contact Miriam Elfert, as some of the eligibility criteria might be waived.