NCT06424366

Approach to Dance for Autism

ADAPT: Approach to Dance for Autism

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 24 (actual)
• Sponsor: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 7 Years – 12 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study will be a randomized trial that will examine the impact of a recreational ballet program on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The research team are primarily interested in assessing changes in motor skills with secondary objectives focused on the social, psychological, and behavioral effects. The study will aim to collect data from 24 participants with ASD. Participants must be 7-12 years old, have a confirmed diagnosis of ASD, and speak English or Spanish. All participants will be enrolled in a 12 week ballet program. The ballet program is based off the curriculum and structure of Ballet for All Kids, a non-profit organization that has been tailoring ballet classes for children with ASD for over one decade. All research team members and volunteers will be trained in the BFAK program's curriculum and structure. Ballet instruction and all research materials will be provided in both English and Spanish. The research team will randomize the sample into an intervention group and waitlist control. The research team will measure outcomes through validated self-reports that caregivers will complete. For the intervention group, questionnaires will be completed at baseline and throughout the intervention (weeks 4, 8, and 12). For those in the waitlist control group, questionnaires will be completed at baseline, throughout the intervention group's ballet classes, and throughout their own participation in the program. Results of this study will help to determine if how a recreational ballet program can impact the motor, psychological, social, and behavioral skills of a child with ASD, informing the direction of future research and interventions.

Conditions

• Autism Spectrum Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Ballet for All Kids	The intervention consists of 12 weeks of ballet classes that follow the structure and curriculum of Ballet for All Kids (BFAK). BFAK is a non-profit organization that has been tailoring ballet classes for children with autism spectrum disorder for over one decade. Ballet classes will be held once a week for 45 minute sessions and led by trained medical and graduate students who have successfully completed BFAK's training and certification. BFAK instruction is based on the Schlachte Method, which combines auditory, visual, vestibular, and emotional learning to individualize instruction to match each child's skill level. In classroom accommodations include, but are not limited to a visual schedule, personal dance areas demarcated by tape on the floor, and one-on-one volunteer assistance.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-07-17
• Primary completion: 2025-03-30
• Completion: 2025-03-30
• First posted: 2024-05-22
• Last updated: 2025-04-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States