Role of chanting based music therapy in enhancing emotion regulation among children with asd: A parent-reported study

The current investigation examined the effectiveness of Chanting-based Music Therapy in improving emotion regulation among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Emotion regulation difficulties are commonly associated with autism and may negatively affect life of these children. A quantitative pre-test post-test research design was employed with a purposive sample of fifty children diagnosed with ASD. Participating children were divided into Experimental Group (n = 25) and Control Group (n = 25). The intervention consisted of chanting-based music therapy sessions conducted three times a week for twelve weeks. Emotion regulation outcomes were assessed using the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC) reported by parents of participating children. Data were analyzed using mixed-design repeated measures ANOVA. The findings revealed significant improvements in adaptive emotion regulation and significant reduction in emotional negativity among participants in the Experimental Group compared to the Control Group. Significant Time × Group interaction effects were observed for both Emotion Regulation (F (1, 48) = 58.45, p<.001, η² = .549) and Emotional Negativity (F (1, 48) = 90.02, p<.001, η² = .652) indicating large intervention effects. The results suggest that chanting-based musical activities may facilitate emotional calming, emotional expression and behavioural regulation among autistic children. Overall, the study highlights the therapeutic value of chanting-based music therapy as a supportive intervention for enhancing emotional functioning in children with ASD.