TY - JOUR
T1 - The feasibility and acceptability of AllPlay Dance for autistic children
T2 - a pilot randomised controlled trial
AU - Lindor, Ebony
AU - Millard, Olivia
AU - Papadopoulos, Nicole
AU - Devenish, Bethany D.
AU - Bellows, Susannah
AU - Mantilla, Ana
AU - McGillivray, Jane
AU - Rinehart, Nicole J.
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all our participants and their families for taking the time to participate in the study. We are especially grateful to the buddy dancers who took time out of their busy schedules to support our young autistic dancers experience dance in a supportive environment. We thank the many students and research assistants who assisted with recruitment, data collection, and data entry, and we express our thanks to Queensland Ballet for supporting the AllPlay Dance program development from its conception (see Millard et al. 2021). This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Deakin University Human Research Ethics Committee (2019–061). Electronic informed consent was provided by all participants. For participants under the age of 18, electronic informed consent was provided by parents/carers. Assent from children was provided through their participation in the dance program, and completing their component of the online feedback. They were able to take breaks, decline participation in activities, or withdraw from the program, at any point they wished. Consent to publish deidentified data was included in the consent form for participation in the study.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors
PY - 2023/11
Y1 - 2023/11
N2 - Purpose: Few studies have explored the potential for community dance programs to act as a feasible and acceptable avenue for improving the physical, social, and mental health outcomes of autistic children. This randomised waitlist-controlled pilot trial examined the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of the classical/contemporary AllPlay Dance program for autistic children. Methods: Twenty-seven autistic children aged 7–12 were randomised to either the intervention group or waitlist control group. Primary outcomes were the acceptability and feasibility of the program, as measured by general study metrics (e.g., enrolment rate, drop out, session attendance) and the participants’ subjective ratings of their experiences (e.g., enjoyment, willingness to do more sessions/recommend the program, etc.). Secondary outcomes included changes in children's motor proficiency, quality of life, and social, emotional and behavioural functioning. Results: The AllPlay Dance program was feasible to conduct and acceptable to young autistic dancers, their parents, and the elite dancers/buddies whose role was to support their participation. There were also promising trends towards improvement in aspects of motor functioning (i.e., aiming and catching). Conclusion: Overall, the findings support the need to conduct a full-scale randomised-controlled trial to confirm the potential gains that this inclusive and creative community-based activity can offer autistic children.
AB - Purpose: Few studies have explored the potential for community dance programs to act as a feasible and acceptable avenue for improving the physical, social, and mental health outcomes of autistic children. This randomised waitlist-controlled pilot trial examined the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of the classical/contemporary AllPlay Dance program for autistic children. Methods: Twenty-seven autistic children aged 7–12 were randomised to either the intervention group or waitlist control group. Primary outcomes were the acceptability and feasibility of the program, as measured by general study metrics (e.g., enrolment rate, drop out, session attendance) and the participants’ subjective ratings of their experiences (e.g., enjoyment, willingness to do more sessions/recommend the program, etc.). Secondary outcomes included changes in children's motor proficiency, quality of life, and social, emotional and behavioural functioning. Results: The AllPlay Dance program was feasible to conduct and acceptable to young autistic dancers, their parents, and the elite dancers/buddies whose role was to support their participation. There were also promising trends towards improvement in aspects of motor functioning (i.e., aiming and catching). Conclusion: Overall, the findings support the need to conduct a full-scale randomised-controlled trial to confirm the potential gains that this inclusive and creative community-based activity can offer autistic children.
KW - Autism
KW - Community intervention
KW - Dance
KW - Motor skills
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85175070987&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.rasd.2023.102271
DO - 10.1016/j.rasd.2023.102271
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85175070987
SN - 1750-9467
VL - 109
JO - Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
JF - Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
M1 - 102271
ER -
