Clinical trial NCT04762290: Dance for Children With Autism
Official title: Dance for Children With Autism: a Therapeutic Intervention to Improve Motor Ability, Quality of Life, Social Communication, Perceived Physical Competence, and Self-efficacy
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Lead sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
First posted: 2021-02-21
Enrollment: 35
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 8
Maximum age (years): 12
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: The study model is a waitlist control. There is an active group and a waitlist control group.
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: 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.

Detailed 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.

Eligibility criteria: 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

Primary outcomes:
measure: Movement Assessment Battery for Children Checklist
timeFrame: 10 minutes
measure: Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale
timeFrame: 45 minutes
measure: Perceived Motor Competence Scale Parent Report
timeFrame: 5 minutes
measure: Perceived Motor Competence Scale Child Report
timeFrame: 5 minutes
measure: Brief Observation of Social Communication Change
timeFrame: 10 minutes
measure: Parenting Stress Scale
timeFrame: 5 minutes
measure: Lifespan Self-Esteem Scale
timeFrame: 2 minutes
measure: Autism Impact Measure
timeFrame: 10 minutes
measure: Quantitative Gait Assessment
timeFrame: 10 minutes
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Social responsiveness scale
timeFrame: 15 minutes
measure: Survey for adults
timeFrame: 10 minutes
measure: Survey for children
timeFrame: 10 minutes
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Los Angeles
country: United States
facility: UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
state: California
Study officials:
affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles
name: Rujuta B Wilson, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: