Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)NCT07800026
Effectiveness of Dance Therapy for Students With Mild Autism Spectrum Disorder in China
A study testing Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) and Regular Art Class (RAC) in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), run by Universiti Putra Malaysia at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) in improving social play, emotional regulation, group skills, and communication skills among students with mild autism in China. The study will use a cluster randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest design. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 8 to 13 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- What is being tested?
- Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) and Regular Art Class (RAC)
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 96 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- 20 Sep 2026to 20 Jan 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 8 to 13 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Aged between 8 and 13 years.
- Have a pre-existing clinical diagnosis of mild Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as documented in school or medical records.
- Have no other serious physical health issues, such as severe chronic diseases, major surgical history, or health problems that affect quality of life.
- Have no prior experience with dance therapy.
- Written informed consent is provided by the participant's parent or legal guardian.
Who cannot join
- Children with serious physical health conditions that may affect their ability to participate in the study.
- Children with prior experience in dance therapy.
- Children whose parent or legal guardian does not provide written informed consent.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
China1 site
Linfen Changxiang Children's Education Center
Linfen, Shanxi, 041000
Yuanfang Li, +86 13191119735, 176197012@qq.com
About this study
Official title: Effectiveness of Dance Therapy for Social Play, Emotional Regulation, Group and Communication Skills of Students With Mild Autism in China: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) in improving social play, emotional regulation, group skills, and communication skills among students with mild autism in China. The study will use a cluster randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest design. A total of 96 students aged 8-13 years will be recruited from special education schools in Linfen, Shanxi Province, China. Existing intact classes will serve as clusters and will be randomly assigned to either the DMT group or the Regular Art Class (RAC) control group. Both groups will participate in 12 weeks of intervention, conducted twice weekly, with each session lasting 45 minutes during regular art class time. Outcomes will be assessed before and after the intervention to evaluate and compare changes between the two groups.
- Conditions
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Being tested
- Dance Movement Therapy (DMT), Regular Art Class (RAC)
- Keywords
- Dance Movement Therapy Social Play Emotional Regulation Group Skills Communication Skills Special Education
- Medical subject headings
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Dance Movement Therapy (DMT)Behavioural
The Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) intervention will be delivered over 12 weeks, with two 45-minute sessions per week. Each session will include a warm-up phase, a core activity phase, and a closing phase, with additional time used flexibly for transitions and emotional adjustment. The intervention will use structured and creative movement activities, including mirror exercises, rhythm synchronization, spatial exploration, improvisational movement, symbolic movement, role-playing, cooperative activities, and relaxation exercises.
The intervention will progress through three phases. Weeks 1-4 will focus on bodily awareness and spatial perception; Weeks 5-8 will focus on emotional expression, emotional regulation, social interaction, and cooperation; and Weeks 9-12 will focus on confidence, creativity, complex emotional understanding, and integration of previously developed skills. Activities will be adjusted to participants' responses and individual needs.
Regular Art Class (RAC)Behavioural
The Regular Art Class (RAC) intervention will be delivered over 12 weeks, with two 45-minute sessions per week, following the school's conventional art curriculum. The program will include one Music and Rhythmic Movement session and one Art and Craft session per week. Sessions will consist of structured, teacher-guided activities and will typically include warm-up activities, theme-based learning, creative practice, and summary sharing, with additional time reserved for transitions and students' emotional needs.
Music and Rhythmic Movement sessions will include singing, rhythm practice, simple body movements, group games, and cooperative activities. Art and Craft sessions will primarily include handicraft and collage activities during the first eight weeks, followed by painting activities from Week 9 onward. The activities will focus on creative expression, basic artistic skills, classroom participation, rhythmic abilities, fine motor skills, imagination, observation, color expression
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) Group | Experimental | Participants in this group will receive a 12-week Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) intervention, conducted twice weekly, with each session lasting 45 minutes during regular art class time. Receives: Behavioral: Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) |
| Regular Art Class (RAC) Group | Active comparator | Participants in this group will participate in Regular Art Class (RAC) activities for 12 weeks, conducted twice weekly, with each session lasting 45 minutes during regular art class time. Receives: Behavioral: Regular Art Class (RAC) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Social Play Assessed by the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS)
Social play will be assessed using the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS), a 32-item teacher-rated measure of peer play behaviors. The PIPPS assesses three dimensions: Play Interaction, Play Disruption, and Play Disconnection. Items are rated on a four-point Likert scale (never, seldom, often, and always). Higher Play Interaction scores indicate more positive peer play interactions, whereas higher Play Disruption and Play Disconnection scores indicate greater disruptive behavior and disengagement from peer play, respectively. Scores will be calculated according to the established PIPPS scoring procedures.
Measured: Baseline and immediately after the 12-week intervention
Change in Emotional Regulation Assessed by the Chinese Version of the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC-C)
Emotional regulation will be assessed using the Chinese Version of the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC-C), a 24-item rating scale completed by a parent, teacher, or other adult familiar with the child. The ERC-C assesses two dimensions: Emotion Regulation and Lability/Negativity. Items are rated on a 7-point Likert scale from 1 (completely untrue) to 7 (completely true). Emotion Regulation reflects adaptive emotional regulation, whereas Lability/Negativity reflects emotional reactivity and dysregulation. Scores will be calculated according to the established scoring procedures.
Measured: Baseline and immediately after the 12-week intervention
Change in Group Skills Assessed by the Social Skills Subscale of the Chinese Version of the School Social Behavior Scales (SSBS-C)
Group skills will be assessed using the 32-item Social Skills subscale of the Chinese Version of the School Social Behavior Scales (SSBS-C), completed by teachers or other school staff familiar with the child. The subscale assesses three dimensions: Interpersonal Skills, Self-Management Skills, and Academic Skills. Items are rated on a 5-point scale from 1 (never occurs) to 5 (always occurs). Higher scores indicate stronger social skills, including interpersonal interaction, self-management, and skills relevant to effective participation and functioning in group settings.
Measured: Baseline and immediately after the 12-week intervention
Change in Communication Skills Assessed by the Chinese Version of the Communication Matrix (CM-C)
Communication skills will be assessed using the Chinese Version of the Communication Matrix (CM-C), a functional communication assessment for individuals with limited verbal or spoken communication. The assessment evaluates communication across seven developmental levels, ranging from pre-intentional behavior to abstract symbolic communication, and includes multiple forms of communication such as gestures, facial expressions, vocalizations, pictures, and other augmentative and alternative communication methods. For quantifying change, individual communication behaviors are scored as 0 (not used), 1 (emerging), or 2 (mastered). The total score ranges from 0 to 160, with higher scores indicating more developed functional communication skills.
Measured: Baseline and immediately after the 12-week intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Sep 2026
- Study start20 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion20 Jan 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion20 Jan 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)Studies 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
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Existing intact classes will serve as clusters and will be randomly assigned to either the Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) group or the Regular Art Class (RAC) control group.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 96 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Universiti Putra Malaysia
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Samsilah Binti Roslan, Universiti Putra Malaysia
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07800026
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- UPM-EDU-DMT-2026-001
- Other IDs
- JKEUPM-2025-725
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 29 Aug 2026
- Last updated
- 2 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effectiveness of Dance Therapy for Social Play, Emotional Regulation, Group and Communication Skills of Students With Mild Autism in China: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07800026
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- UPM-EDU-DMT-2026-001
- Conditions
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Keywords
- Dance Movement Therapy Social Play Emotional Regulation Group Skills Communication Skills Special Education
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 96 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Universiti Putra MalaysiaUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 20 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 20 Jan 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 20 Jan 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 2 Sep 2026 (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.
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) in improving social play, emotional regulation, group skills, and communication skills among students with mild autism in China. The study will use a cluster randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest design. A total of 96 students aged 8-13 years will be recruited from special education schools in Linfen, Shanxi Province, China. Existing intact classes will serve as clusters and will be randomly assigned to either the DMT group or the Regular Art Class (RAC) control group. Both groups will participate in 12 weeks of intervention, conducted twice weekly, with each session lasting 45 minutes during regular art class time. Outcomes will be assessed before and after the intervention to evaluate and compare changes between the two groups.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Existing intact classes will serve as clusters and will be randomly assigned to either the Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) group or the Regular Art Class (RAC) control group.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) Group | Experimental | Behavioral: Dance Movement Therapy (DMT)Participants in this group will receive a 12-week Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) intervention, conducted twice weekly, with each session lasting 45 minutes during regular art class time. |
| Regular Art Class (RAC) Group | Active comparator | Behavioral: Regular Art Class (RAC)Participants in this group will participate in Regular Art Class (RAC) activities for 12 weeks, conducted twice weekly, with each session lasting 45 minutes during regular art class time. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 8 to 13 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Aged between 8 and 13 years.
- Have a pre-existing clinical diagnosis of mild Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as documented in school or medical records.
- Have no other serious physical health issues, such as severe chronic diseases, major surgical history, or health problems that affect quality of life.
- Have no prior experience with dance therapy.
- Written informed consent is provided by the participant's parent or legal guardian.
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Children with serious physical health conditions that may affect their ability to participate in the study.
- Children with prior experience in dance therapy.
- Children whose parent or legal guardian does not provide written informed consent.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dance Movement Therapy (DMT)The Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) intervention will be delivered over 12 weeks, with two 45-minute sessions per week. Each session will include a warm-up phase, a core activity phase, and a closing phase, with additional time used flexibly for transitions and emotional adjustment. The intervention will use structured and creative movement activities, including mirror exercises, rhythm synchronization, spatial exploration, improvisational movement, symbolic movement, role-playing, cooperative activities, and relaxation exercises. The intervention will progress through three phases. Weeks 1-4 will focus on bodily awareness and spatial perception; Weeks 5-8 will focus on emotional expression, emotional regulation, social interaction, and cooperation; and Weeks 9-12 will focus on confidence, creativity, complex emotional understanding, and integration of previously developed skills. Activities will be adjusted to participants' responses and individual needs. | Behavioural | Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) Group |
| Regular Art Class (RAC)The Regular Art Class (RAC) intervention will be delivered over 12 weeks, with two 45-minute sessions per week, following the school's conventional art curriculum. The program will include one Music and Rhythmic Movement session and one Art and Craft session per week. Sessions will consist of structured, teacher-guided activities and will typically include warm-up activities, theme-based learning, creative practice, and summary sharing, with additional time reserved for transitions and students' emotional needs. Music and Rhythmic Movement sessions will include singing, rhythm practice, simple body movements, group games, and cooperative activities. Art and Craft sessions will primarily include handicraft and collage activities during the first eight weeks, followed by painting activities from Week 9 onward. The activities will focus on creative expression, basic artistic skills, classroom participation, rhythmic abilities, fine motor skills, imagination, observation, color expression | Behavioural | Regular Art Class (RAC) Group |
Primary outcome
Change in Social Play Assessed by the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS)
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 12-week intervention
Social play will be assessed using the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS), a 32-item teacher-rated measure of peer play behaviors. The PIPPS assesses three dimensions: Play Interaction, Play Disruption, and Play Disconnection. Items are rated on a four-point Likert scale (never, seldom, often, and always). Higher Play Interaction scores indicate more positive peer play interactions, whereas higher Play Disruption and Play Disconnection scores indicate greater disruptive behavior and disengagement from peer play, respectively. Scores will be calculated according to the established PIPPS scoring procedures.
Change in Emotional Regulation Assessed by the Chinese Version of the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC-C)
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 12-week intervention
Emotional regulation will be assessed using the Chinese Version of the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC-C), a 24-item rating scale completed by a parent, teacher, or other adult familiar with the child. The ERC-C assesses two dimensions: Emotion Regulation and Lability/Negativity. Items are rated on a 7-point Likert scale from 1 (completely untrue) to 7 (completely true). Emotion Regulation reflects adaptive emotional regulation, whereas Lability/Negativity reflects emotional reactivity and dysregulation. Scores will be calculated according to the established scoring procedures.
Change in Group Skills Assessed by the Social Skills Subscale of the Chinese Version of the School Social Behavior Scales (SSBS-C)
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 12-week intervention
Group skills will be assessed using the 32-item Social Skills subscale of the Chinese Version of the School Social Behavior Scales (SSBS-C), completed by teachers or other school staff familiar with the child. The subscale assesses three dimensions: Interpersonal Skills, Self-Management Skills, and Academic Skills. Items are rated on a 5-point scale from 1 (never occurs) to 5 (always occurs). Higher scores indicate stronger social skills, including interpersonal interaction, self-management, and skills relevant to effective participation and functioning in group settings.
Change in Communication Skills Assessed by the Chinese Version of the Communication Matrix (CM-C)
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 12-week intervention
Communication skills will be assessed using the Chinese Version of the Communication Matrix (CM-C), a functional communication assessment for individuals with limited verbal or spoken communication. The assessment evaluates communication across seven developmental levels, ranging from pre-intentional behavior to abstract symbolic communication, and includes multiple forms of communication such as gestures, facial expressions, vocalizations, pictures, and other augmentative and alternative communication methods. For quantifying change, individual communication behaviors are scored as 0 (not used), 1 (emerging), or 2 (mastered). The total score ranges from 0 to 160, with higher scores indicating more developed functional communication skills.
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 2 Sep 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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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.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) and Regular Art Class (RAC) in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), run by Universiti Putra Malaysia at 1 site in China.
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 5 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Sep 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 China. 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 Yanmeng He, Master of Arts (+86 13453726056, gs66357@student.upm.edu.my), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Social Play Assessed by the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS) (time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 12-week intervention). 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?
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 2 Sep 2026.