Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy in Enhancing Emotional Regulation and Therapeutic Alliance Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Occupational therapy (OT) is a therapeutic approach designed to enhance individuals’ independence, functional abilities, and participation in meaningful daily activities, including self-care, education, play, and leisure. It may play an important role in supporting children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by addressing challenges related to emotional regulation, adaptive functioning, and social participation. However, further investigation is needed to understand its effects on selected psychological variables among children with ASD. The present study aims to examine the impact of occupational therapy interventions on expressive suppression, cognitive appraisal, and therapeutic alliance among children with ASD. A pre-test–post-test research design was employed to assess changes in these variables following occupational therapy sessions. The collected data were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and mean-rank comparisons to evaluate differences between pre-intervention and post-intervention scores. The findings revealed statistically significant post-intervention improvements across all the variables examined. These results suggest that occupational therapy may have a beneficial role in supporting selected emotional and therapeutic outcomes among children with ASD. The study highlights the importance of further research into the psychological dimensions of occupational therapy and its potential contribution to individualized intervention approaches for children on the autism spectrum.