THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ART THERAPY IN FACILITATING THE EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION AND SOCIAL REGULATION IN STUDENTS WITH ASD

Abstract

Abstract 

             This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of art therapy in facilitating emotional expression and social regulation among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The target population included teachers from both public and private schools teaching in special education institutes. Therapists, psychologists, and parents were excluded. Data were collected using an opinionnaire designed on a five-point Likert scale, focusing on the domain of emotional expression and regulation. The sample size comprised of 70 teachers by using simple random sampling technique. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings revealed that a majority of teachers agreed that art therapy provides a safe and supportive space for children with ASD to express emotions that are otherwise difficult to verbalize, enhances their ability to identify emotions, and supports emotional regulation during stressful situations. The results further indicated that consistent participation in art therapy contributes to a reduction in emotional outbursts and fosters socially acceptable emotional expression. The inferential statistic further reveals that the gender and qualification significantly impact on the perception of respondents about the effectiveness of art therapy.  Based on these findings, it was concluded that art therapy is an effective intervention to improve emotional well-being and social adjustment in children with ASD. The study recommends the integration of structured art therapy sessions into special education curricula and teacher training programs to better support emotional growth and social regulation in children with ASD.  

Keywords: Art therapy, Emotional regulation, Autism Spectrum, Disorder, Social skills, Emotional expression