According to a man who joined a support group for fathers of children with special educational needs (SEND), "as men and dads we need to get involved.".
Since the majority of regional SEND support groups were geared toward female carers, Piotr Maciaszek, 44, from Northampton, is a member of SENDS 4 Dads, which was founded in 2015.
We offer each other both practical advice on how to handle problems and emotional support, according to Mr. Maciaszek. ".
The organization's first "Dadstock" event will take place on July 15.
Simon, a 12-year-old boy, was diagnosed with autism in 2016, but when Mr. Maciaszek started going to support groups in Northampton, "I was usually the only man in the room.".
He explained that at SENDS 4 Dads, "we develop good-quality bonding opportunities for dads and their children, typically centered around sports.".
He continued, "From what I've seen, men are just more than happy to delegate anything to do with childcare to the women in our lives.
He claimed that getting involved strengthened fathers' connections to their kids.
After experiencing "a particularly bad period of mental ill health," Paul Meadows, 49, of Northampton, founded the group.
Mr. Meadows, whose autistic son Connor has autism, spoke of feeling lonely and isolated.
He said, "A lot of the [state educational or health] services will go directly to the mother, we're pretty much left out of things.".
And because men find it difficult to express their emotions and discuss problems, this leads to relationship stress and mental health problems.
"I noticed that there was no support for dads or groups at all, so I had to decide whether to start them myself or wait for them to be established. ".
The group has assisted Mr. Maciaszek in coping with his feelings of isolation as "the parent of a child with special needs.".
"When I meet with other dads here, I don't have to explain things; I just list the issues I have, and they offer examples of how they solved those problems on their own - and that's all you can ask for," says the dad.
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