Effectiveness of Rhythmic Singing Training Program on Emotion Regulation of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of a rhythmic singing training program on emotion regulation in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. For this purpose, 20 students with Autism Spectrum Disorder were selected and randomly divided into two groups, an experimental and a control group, based on their age, IQ, and level of functioning. Emotion Regulation Checklist (Shields & Cicchetti, 1998) was used as a measurement tool in this study. The experimental group experienced 15 sessions of rhythmic singing (45 minutes per session) and the control group waited on the waiting list. At the end, the emotion regulation checklist was again used for the posttest phase and all data were analyzed with SPSS software using Multiple Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA). The findings showed that rhythmic singing training program was effective on emotion regulation of adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder with an effect size of 0.313 (p≤0.01). Thus, this intervention can be used to enable exceptional adolescents to improve their emotion regulation, especially adolescents with autism spectrum disorders.