Compilation of the Manual of mother-centered art therapy and evaluate its effect on the mother-child relationship for families with children with autism spectrum disorders

Autism spectrum disorders are known as one of the most serious and complex psychological disorders in children, that is associated with problems such as deficits in social, verbal, and behavioral relationships, repetitive, stereotypical, and limited movements. These problems harm the process of communication and interactions of these children with others and family members, especially their mothers.

The study aimed to compile a Manual for mother-centered art therapy, and how it affects the mother-child relationship.

The method is a quasi-experimental method with a pre-test-post-test design with a control and follow-up group (two months). Twenty mothers and children with autism spectrum disorders were selected from mothers and children who were referred to the clinic for children with special disorders at Shahid Beheshti University and were randomly assigned to two experimental (N=10) and control groups (N=10). Both groups completed the Pianta Mother-Child relationship scale (Pianta, 1992) in three stages, before and after the intervention and two months after the intervention. Descriptive indices Student t-test and mixed analysis of variance were used to analyze the data.

The results showed that the Manual mother-centered art therapy significantly increased the positive relationship between mother and child in the experimental group; increased intimacy (F = 8.49; sig <0.001) and decreased conflict (F = 47.52; sig<0.001) and decreased dependence (F = 13.29; sig <0.001).

Based on the results of the present study, the conflict and dependence in the relationship between mother and child with autism spectrum disorders have decreased and intimacy has increased. As a result, the effectiveness of the mother-centered art therapy manual is confirmed.