None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Dance is a unique form of physical activity that involves complex movement, emotional expression, and social opportunities. While many avenues of research have suggested that dance offers a wide range of benefits to its participants, children with ASD often face barriers to participating in dance and have fewer opportunities to take part in recreational programs compared to their typically-developing peers. As a consequence, few studies have been able to assess the effects of participating in dance for these individuals and it remains unclear whether this unique activity offers any significant benefits to social, cognitive, emotional/behavioural and motor functioning. The current study aims to deliver a tailored classical/contemporary dance program to children with ASD to begin exploring the potential outcomes of participation. The primary aim will be to determine the feasibility and acceptability of the classical/contemporary AllPlay Dance program. We hypothesise that the program will be feasible, and acceptable to children with ASD, their parents, and the experienced dancers/ buddies acting in a supportive role. Data for this analysis will be collected from all participants within 8 weeks of completing the program. We will also explore the effect of the classical/contemporary AllPlay dance program on social, cognitive, emotional/behavioural and motor functioning for children with ASD. Data for these analyses will be collected from all ASD families regardless of group allocation within 8 weeks of the intervention group commencing (baseline) and completing (primary timepoint 1) the dance program.
Interventions
The intervention is a classical/contemporary AllPlay Dance program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It will consist of 8 x 1 hour dance sessions (occurring weekly), followed by a rehearsal session and short performance for family and friends. The program will be informed by our AllPlay Dance resources and strategies that were developed to support the inclusion of children with disabilities in dance (see allplaydance.org.au). The classes will incorporate Laban’s movement principl
The intervention is a classical/contemporary AllPlay Dance program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It will consist of 8 x 1 hour dance sessions (occurring weekly), followed by a rehearsal session and short performance for family and friends. The program will be informed by our AllPlay Dance resources and strategies that were developed to support the inclusion of children with disabilities in dance (see allplaydance.org.au). The classes will incorporate Laban’s movement principles and will follow the same structure each week (e.g., learning material, making material, shaping material, showing/watching). Each session will be tailored to children with ASD and delivered by dance and disability experts who have prior experience conducting programs of this nature. Between sessions, we will also make available pre-prepared dance videos of the steps and choreography to further support learning. Elite dancers/buddies will also be recruited to the study to support the children with ASD as they learn new skills and progress through the program. Prior to commencing the program, the elite dancers/buddies will attend a briefing session to learn about ASD, inclusive strategies, and their role as buddies. Session attendance will be monitored throughout the program for all participants.
Sponsors
Professor Nicole Rinehart
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
7 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
For ASD Participants: • Must be aged between 7 and 12 years old. • Must have a pre-existing formal diagnosis of ASD. • Must be able to understand and follow simple verbal and visual instructions. • Must be available to attend the dance program in Term 3 if randomly allocated to the intervention group. For Parents of ASD Participants: • Must be a parent or guardian of a child aged 7-12 with a formal diagnosis of ASD who is enrolled in the study. For Elite Dancers Participating as Buddies: • Must be over 14 years of age. • Must currently be/or have previously completed intensive training in dance. • Must be interested in pursuing a career as a dancer or a dance teacher. • Must have a working with children check if they do not qualify for an exemption. • Must be available to support at least one group of children through the dance program in Term 3 or 4.
Exclusion criteria
For ASD Participants: • A formal diagnosis of Intellectual Disability (ID). • Actively participating in a similar dance program in the community on an ongoing basis or enrolled to participate in an external dance program during the study. For Parents of ASD Participants: • Non-English speaking - unable to speak/read English at a level sufficient enough to comprehend the study materials (e.g., advertisement flyers, consent forms) and complete the surveys. For Elite Dancers Participating as Buddies: • Non-English speaking - unable to speak/read English at a level sufficient enough to comprehend the study materials (e.g., advertisement flyers, consent forms), communicate with the children and complete the surveys.
Outcome results
None listed