The Developmental and Social Benefits of a Classical/Contemporary AllPlay Dance Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

INTERVENTION: 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. CONDITION: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); ; Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Mental Health ‐ Autistic spectrum disorders PRIMARY OUTCOME: Acceptability and feasibility of the study based on general study metrics (e.g., enrollment rates, drop out, session attendance) and participants' subjective report about their experiences of the classical/contemporary AllPlay Dance program.[Within 8 weeks of participants completing the dance intervention. ] SECONDARY OUTCOME: ASD symptom severity on the Social Responsive Scale – Second Edition (SRS‐2)[Baseline: Within 8 weeks of the intervention group commencing the dance intervention. ; Post‐intervention: Within 8 weeks of the intervention group completing the dance intervention. ; ] Day‐to‐Day Executive Functioning on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function – Second Edition (BRIEF‐2)[Baseline: Within 8 weeks of the intervention group commencing the dance intervention. ; Post‐intervention: Within 8 weeks of the intervention group completing the dance intervention. ; ] Emotional and behavioural problems on the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL)[Baseline: Within 8 weeks of the intervention group commencing the dance intervention. ; Post‐intervention: Within 8 weeks of the intervention group completing the dance intervention. ; ] Human movement perception abilities on eye‐tracking tasks (e.g., perceptual accuracy and gaze patterns on tasks requiring participants to observe and interpret the movements/interactions of point‐light figures). [Baseline: Within 8 weeks of the intervention group commencing the dance intervention. ; Post‐intervention: Within 8 weeks of the intervention group completing the dance intervention. ; ] Motor Proficiency on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children – Second Edition (MABC‐2)[Baseline: Within 8 weeks of the intervention group commencing the dance intervention. ; Post‐intervention: Within 8 weeks of the intervention group completing the dance intervention. ; ] Quality of Life on the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory (Peds‐QL)[Baseline: Within 8 weeks of the intervention group commencing the dance intervention. ; Post‐intervention: Within 8 weeks of the intervention group completing the dance intervention. ; ] Walking patterns on motion‐sensitive gait tasks (e.g., 'preferred/natural walk' and 'tandem walk'). [Baseline: Within 8 weeks of the intervention group commencing the dance intervention. ; Post‐intervention: Within 8 weeks of the intervention group completing the dance intervention. ; ] 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.