Dance for Children With Autism

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Treatments: Other: Dance

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT04762290

20-001680-AM-00005

Details and patient eligibility

About

Motor impairments are prominent in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopment disorders, and these impairments often impact the individual's ability to engage in organized physical activity programs (OPA). While many studies have identified dance and creative movement to be retrospectively and anecdotally therapeutic, there remains a paucity of literature regarding outcomes associated with these programs, and specifically, their impact on (1) perceived and objective gross and fine motor skills, (2) perceived ability to succeed in related or divergent goals or tasks, (3) quality of life for affected individuals and their caregivers. (4) adaptive function and socialization, (5) social communication

This study explores the impact of organized dance and creative movement classes on children with autism (ages 8-12) and their caregivers. Participants will complete a set of surveys and assessments designed to measure the above metrics (labeled 1, 2, and 3) at their first study visit. This initial assessment is expected to take place within two weeks prior to beginning the intervention (either a wait period or a series of 1-hour dance classes, which children will attend weekly for 10 weeks). The second and final study visit will consist of a similar set of surveys and assessments designed to measure the same metrics within the two weeks following completion of the dance class series. Participants who have completed the wait period at this point will then begin their set of 10 weekly dance classes. Expected duration of participation in the study is no longer than 14 weeks in total.

Full description

Motor impairments are prominent in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopment disorders, and these impairments often impact the individual's ability to engage in organized physical activity programs (OPA). While many studies have identified dance and creative movement to be retrospectively and anecdotally therapeutic, there remains a paucity of literature regarding outcomes associated with these programs, and specifically, their impact on (1) perceived and objective gross and fine motor skills, (2) perceived ability to succeed in related or divergent goals or tasks, (3) quality of life for affected individuals and their caregivers, (4) Adaptive function and socialization, (5) social communication.

This study explores the impact of organized dance and creative movement classes on children with autism (ages 8-12) and their caregivers. Participants will complete a set of surveys and assessments designed to measure the above metrics (labeled 1, 2,3, 4, 5) at their first study visit. This initial assessment is expected to take place within two weeks prior to beginning the intervention (either a wait period or a series of 1-hour dance classes, which children will attend weekly for 10 weeks). The second and final study visit will consist of a similar set of surveys and assessments designed to measure the same metrics within the two weeks following completion of the dance class series. Participants who have completed the wait period at this point will then begin their set of 10 weekly dance classes.

Enrollment: 35 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 8 to 12 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• There are no inclusion criteria based on gender, pregnancy/childbearing potential, race, ethnicity, or language spoken
• Children must be between the ages of 8 to 12
• A diagnosis of a autism
• Complex speech/fully verbal

Exclusion criteria

• Children younger than 8 years of age
• Children older than 12 years of age
• Children without a diagnosis of autism
• Children who are not fully verbal (i.e. phrased speech, single words, or non-speaking)
• Children who have previously participated in dance classes held by the Dance program called the Expressive Movement Initiative

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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35 participants in 2 patient groups

Active Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

This group will receive the intervention in the first 10 weeks of the study. The intervention is a dance intervention that consists of a series of expressive movements.

Treatment:

Other: Dance

Waitlist Control

Other group

Description:

This group will receive the intervention in the second 10 weeks of the study (after the active group and after pre-post assessments in the first 10 weeks during the time of no intervention).

Treatment:

Other: Dance