ABSTRACT:
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has the potential to substantially influence child development and affect the mental health of the children's primary caregivers, especially the mother. These mothers, having children with ASD, are more likely to experience increased parental stress, increased emotional distress, and reduced quality of life. Although most existing approaches focus on changing child behavior, culturally sensitive, relational, and child-centered interventions that also support maternal well-being seem to be overlooked. Here, a new theoretical framework, known as "Saraswat Samanway," is presented as a child- mediated intervention to highlight the role of the child in promoting therapeutic change through the use of a Rabindrik Music Intervention (RMI). It is developed in collaboration with Dr. Debdulal Dutta Roy; this model adheres to the principles of Rabindrik Psychotherapy, which draws inspiration from the expressive power of Rabindra Sangeet. A framework is integrated in which five basic Rabindrik models are integrated, from Topography of Consciousness, Flow Theory, Force Field Theory, Quantum Consciousness Theory, and Human Value Theory to match Lazarus and Folkman’s Stress Adaptation Model, Attachment-based Parenting by Bowlby, Social Learning Theory by Bandura, and developmental principles for parenting children (7 to 14 years old). Using a conceptual synthesis to demonstrate that the process of interacting with music helps children to express their emotions and behaviours more healthily, and as a result, maternal stress may be reduced, and there is a further connectedness between parents and their children. This article aims to provide an empirically sound theoretical background, which will also add to the literature on indigenous psychotherapy in a culturally novel manner.