But he has changed me, and helped me to become the man I needed to be. In emphasizing the undeniable importance of mothers, social scientists lost sight of the father and the larger family context in which children grow and develop. The word parent became synonymous with mother. This same trend applied to fathers of children with disabilities. Michael Lamb, Ph.D., a leading scholar on fathers, revealed some significant differences between mothers and fathers behavior with their newborn infant.
Mothers spend more time attending to the infants' basic needs while fathers tend to play more.
Fathers are also observed to be more vigorous and rougher in their play than mothers. Mothers and fathers initially respond differently to a child with a disability. Fathers seem less emotional and focus traditionally more on long-term problems such as financial concerns. Mothers respond openly with their emotions and are engaged with the often overwhelming daily care of the child. Fathers who are less involved in daily interaction with their children tend to have a prolonged period of denial about the disability and its implications.