Down SyndromeNCT07156318
Drumming Lessons' Influence on Children With Down Syndrome
A study testing 2 months of drumming lessons given by a professional drummer with extensive experience working with children with Down syndrome and Lessons after measurement in people with Down Syndrome, run by Vanderbilt University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if drumming lessons can increase self-control in children with Down syndrome. The main question it aims to answer is whether 2 months of drumming lessons can improve the behavioral control and timing skills in children with Down syndrome. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 7 to 15 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Down Syndrome
- What is being tested?
- 2 months of drumming lessons given by a professional drummer with extensive experience working with children with Down syndrome and Lessons after measurement
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 30 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 15 Feb 2026to Dec 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 7 to 15 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Down syndrome
Who cannot join
- Already taken drumming lessons
- Uncorrected hearing loss
- Uncorrected vision loss
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee, 37203
Caroline Danforth, MS, 615-343-1079, vuhandsonplaylab@gmail.com
Alison Rubin, BA, 615-343-1079, vuhandsonplaylab@gmail.com
About this study
Official title: Effects of Drumming Lessons on Brain and Behavior in Children With Down Syndrome
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if drumming lessons can increase self-control in children with Down syndrome. The main question it aims to answer is whether 2 months of drumming lessons can improve the behavioral control and timing skills in children with Down syndrome. Participants are between 7 and 15 years of age and receive two months of drumming lessons given by a professional drummer with extensive experience working with children with Down syndrome. Children in the experimental group visit our lab once before lessons start and once after lessons are completed. Children in the control group visit our lab twice before they start their lessons. Lab visits include brain recordings taken using a net-style cap, computer tasks, and drumming to music.
Read the detailed description
Down syndrome (DS) is the most common chromosomal cause of cognitive disability, and it affects approximately 1 in 700 live births. Although the genetic etiology of DS (a complete or partial third 21st chromosome) has been known for over 50 years, many fundamental questions about how to support high quality of life for individuals with DS remain unanswered. One area of relative weakness in DS is Inhibitory Control (IC). This skill is important for daily tasks such as following directions, making decisions, and managing money among other tasks. Existing research demonstrates a clear link between playing the drums and IC. In the proposed research, we will conduct an experiment in which 7- to 12-year-old children are randomly assigned to the Experimental (EXP) and Wait List Control (WLC) conditions. In the EXP condition, children will receive drumming lessons between Visit 1 and Visit 2, and in the Wait List Control group, children will receive drumming lessons after Visit 2. In this way, all children will receive drumming lessons, but only the EXP group will show effects of the drumming lessons in Visit 2. Testing conducted during Visits 1 and 2 will include behavioral and neural measures of inhibitory control and drumming, neural measures of beat perception, and parent report of social behavior (via Standardized questionnaire). Our predictions are that children in the EXP condition will show improvements in both measures of IC and increases in precision in the beat perception and drumming tasks. We also expect that parent report of children's behavior on the social skills questionnaire will show improvement. Across the EXP and WLC conditions, we expect no differences at Visit 1 but significant differences between conditions at Visit 2.
- Conditions
- Down Syndrome
- Being tested
- 2 months of drumming lessons given by a professional drummer with extensive experience working with children with Down syndrome, Lessons after measurement
- Keywords
- Children with Down syndrome;, Effects of drumming lessons, Effects on brain and behavior, Inhibitory control, Beat perception, Intervention study
- Medical subject headings
- Down Syndrome, Behavior
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
2 months of drumming lessons given by a professional drummer with extensive experience working with children with Down syndromeBehavioural
Drumming lessons consisting of how to use hands to drum on djembe drum, using alternating hands to drum, drumming to a metronome and to music.
Lessons after measurementBehavioural
Receiving lessons after the two lab visits should still offer any possible positive effects to participants while still allowing us to compare the Control group children's behaviors to those of the Experimental group.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental group | Experimental | Experimental group will receive the drumming lesson intervention between baseline and testing approximately 2 to 3 months later, so the effects of the intervention can be assessed in the lab measures. Receives: Behavioral: 2 months of drumming lessons given by a professional drummer with extensive experience working with children with Down syndrome |
| Control group | Other | Children in the Control condition will receive drumming lessons only after they have completed lab baseline and testing measures, about 2 to 3 months later. Receives: Behavioral: Lessons after measurement |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Zoo task
Behavioral "Go/No go" task done on a computer designed to assess children's inhibitory control
Measured: Baseline to two months
Statue task
Child is encouraged to 'become a statue' by holding their body in a position and not moving
Measured: Baseline to two months
Beat Perception
EEG measure of brain activity during passive listening to music
Measured: Baseline to two months
Beat production
EEG and behavioral measures of when child thinks beat is happening during music or metronome
Measured: Baseline to two months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted5 Sep 2025
- Study start15 Feb 2026
- Primary completionJul 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Down SyndromeStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Vanderbilt University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Amy Needham, Vanderbilt University
- Investigators
- Amy Needham, PhD, Principal investigator, Vanderbilt UniversityMiriam Lense, PhD, Study director, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07156318
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 230465
- Status last verified
- Mar 2026
- First submitted
- 15 Aug 2025
- Last updated
- 19 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: In this initial investigation, it seems unlikely that data at the participant level would be informative to other researchers. If it becomes clear during the study that sharing of IPD actually would be beneficial, we will recontact participants for their consent to share this information and share those datasets for which we obtain consent.
Publications
Cahart MS, Amad A, Draper SB, Lowry RG, Marino L, Carey C, Ginestet CE, Smith MS, Williams SCR. The effect of learning to drum on behavior and brain function in autistic adolescents. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Jun 7;119(23):e2106244119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2106244119. Epub 2022 May 31.
PubMed 35639696
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 19 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effects of Drumming Lessons on Brain and Behavior in Children With Down Syndrome
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07156318
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 230465
- Conditions
- Down Syndrome
- Keywords
- Children with Down syndrome;, Effects of drumming lessons, Effects on brain and behavior, Inhibitory control, Beat perception, Intervention study
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Vanderbilt UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 15 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Jul 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Dec 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 5 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if drumming lessons can increase self-control in children with Down syndrome. The main question it aims to answer is whether 2 months of drumming lessons can improve the behavioral control and timing skills in children with Down syndrome. Participants are between 7 and 15 years of age and receive two months of drumming lessons given by a professional drummer with extensive experience working with children with Down syndrome. Children in the experimental group visit our lab once before lessons start and once after lessons are completed. Children in the control group visit our lab twice before they start their lessons. Lab visits include brain recordings taken using a net-style cap, computer tasks, and drumming to music.
Detailed description
Down syndrome (DS) is the most common chromosomal cause of cognitive disability, and it affects approximately 1 in 700 live births. Although the genetic etiology of DS (a complete or partial third 21st chromosome) has been known for over 50 years, many fundamental questions about how to support high quality of life for individuals with DS remain unanswered. One area of relative weakness in DS is Inhibitory Control (IC). This skill is important for daily tasks such as following directions, making decisions, and managing money among other tasks. Existing research demonstrates a clear link between playing the drums and IC. In the proposed research, we will conduct an experiment in which 7- to 12-year-old children are randomly assigned to the Experimental (EXP) and Wait List Control (WLC) conditions. In the EXP condition, children will receive drumming lessons between Visit 1 and Visit 2, and in the Wait List Control group, children will receive drumming lessons after Visit 2. In this way, all children will receive drumming lessons, but only the EXP group will show effects of the drumming lessons in Visit 2. Testing conducted during Visits 1 and 2 will include behavioral and neural measures of inhibitory control and drumming, neural measures of beat perception, and parent report of social behavior (via Standardized questionnaire). Our predictions are that children in the EXP condition will show improvements in both measures of IC and increases in precision in the beat perception and drumming tasks. We also expect that parent report of children's behavior on the social skills questionnaire will show improvement. Across the EXP and WLC conditions, we expect no differences at Visit 1 but significant differences between conditions at Visit 2.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental group | Experimental | Behavioral: 2 months of drumming lessons given by a professional drummer with extensive experience working with children with Down syndromeExperimental group will receive the drumming lesson intervention between baseline and testing approximately 2 to 3 months later, so the effects of the intervention can be assessed in the lab measures. |
| Control group | Other | Behavioral: Lessons after measurementChildren in the Control condition will receive drumming lessons only after they have completed lab baseline and testing measures, about 2 to 3 months later. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 7 to 15 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Down syndrome
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Already taken drumming lessons
- Uncorrected hearing loss
- Uncorrected vision loss
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| 2 months of drumming lessons given by a professional drummer with extensive experience working with children with Down syndromeDrumming lessons consisting of how to use hands to drum on djembe drum, using alternating hands to drum, drumming to a metronome and to music. | Behavioural | Experimental group |
| Lessons after measurementReceiving lessons after the two lab visits should still offer any possible positive effects to participants while still allowing us to compare the Control group children's behaviors to those of the Experimental group. | Behavioural | Control group |
Primary outcome
Zoo task
Time frame: Baseline to two months
Behavioral "Go/No go" task done on a computer designed to assess children's inhibitory control
Statue task
Time frame: Baseline to two months
Child is encouraged to 'become a statue' by holding their body in a position and not moving
Beat Perception
Time frame: Baseline to two months
EEG measure of brain activity during passive listening to music
Beat production
Time frame: Baseline to two months
EEG and behavioral measures of when child thinks beat is happening during music or metronome
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 19 May 2026.
- Background: PubMed 35639696Cahart MS, Amad A, Draper SB, Lowry RG, Marino L, Carey C, Ginestet CE, Smith MS, Williams SCR. The effect of learning to drum on behavior and brain function in autistic adolescents. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Jun 7;119(23):e2106244119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2106244119. Epub 2022 May 31.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. In this initial investigation, it seems unlikely that data at the participant level would be informative to other researchers. If it becomes clear during the study that sharing of IPD actually would be beneficial, we will recontact participants for their consent to share this information and share those datasets for which we obtain consent.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Amy Needham, PhD principal investigator
Vanderbilt University
Miriam Lense, PhD study director
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing 2 months of drumming lessons given by a professional drummer with extensive experience working with children with Down syndrome and Lessons after measurement in people with Down Syndrome, run by Vanderbilt University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 19 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Amy Needham, PhD (16154999992, amy.needham@vanderbilt.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Zoo task (time frame: Baseline to two months). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07156318, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 19 May 2026.