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 Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
96
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.
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
Linfen Changxiang Children's Education Center
Linfen, Shanxi, China
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.
Time frame: 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.
Time frame: 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.
Time frame: 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.
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 12-week intervention
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