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Trial registered on ANZCTR
Registration number
ACTRN12625000600448
Ethics application status
Approved
Date submitted
23/05/2025
Date registered
11/06/2025
Date last updated
11/06/2025
Date data sharing statement initially provided
11/06/2025
Type of registration
Prospectively registered
Titles & IDs
Public title
AllPlay Dance Autism: A randomised controlled trial of a community-based dance program for Autistic children
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Scientific title
AllPlay Dance Autism: A randomised controlled trial of the effect of a community-based dance program on motor functioning for Autistic children
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Secondary ID [1]
314518
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Nil known
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Universal Trial Number (UTN)
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Trial acronym
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Linked study record
This study is a full-scale RCT based on the pilot study (ACTRN12619000671167), which assessed the feasibility and acceptability of the AllPlay Dance program for autistic children.
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Health condition
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied:
Autism
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Condition category
Condition code
Mental Health
333946
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0
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Autistic spectrum disorders
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Intervention/exposure
Study type
Interventional
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Description of intervention(s) / exposure
The AllPlay Dance program aims to ensure that children with disability and developmental conditions can access dance classes in the community (see allplaydance.org.au). The program was designed and will be delivered by dance and disability experts with more than 20 years of professional dance performance experience and/or experience in research, clinical practice, and teaching dance in the disability and autism field. It will be delivered at a dance studio located at Deakin University, Burwood campus. The current intervention focuses on autism and consists of 8 weekly 50-minute dance sessions plus a final 100-minute session in the 9th week, which includes a rehearsal and an informal performance. Families will receive orientation material before the first dance class to familiarise them with the program. The sessions will follow a consistent structure. After a warm-up incorporating both set movement material and improvisation, children will work in pairs or small groups on common creative tasks. After this, they will come back together to show their dances and watch each other (see Millard et al.., 2021 for a full description). All dance classes will be adapted to the child’s needs, and alternative movement variations and participation options will be provided to cater to the child's strengths. During each session, children are paired with older dancers, ‘buddies’, who support their participation through dancing and collaborating with them in creative exercises. These buddies will predominantly be university students enrolled in Dance units at Deakin University. Buddies will complete AllPlay Dance’s professional development training and attend an online briefing session prior to supporting children. Intervention adherence will be assessed by the research team through self-report and attendance logs.
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Intervention code [1]
331149
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Behaviour
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Intervention code [2]
331148
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Lifestyle
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Comparator / control treatment
Treatment-as-usual (TAU) waitlist control. The TAU control group will be able to continue with their medical appointments and non-dance-related activities throughout the study. They will be offered the AllPlay Dance intervention 4 weeks after the final AllPlay Dance session for the intervention group.
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Control group
Active
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Outcomes
Primary outcome [1]
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Changes in motor functioning
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Assessment method [1]
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Movement Assessment Battery for Children
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Timepoint [1]
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Baseline and post-intervention (within 4 weeks of the final session)
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Primary outcome [2]
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Changes in motor functioning
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Assessment method [2]
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Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire 2007
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Timepoint [2]
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Baseline and post-intervention (within 4 weeks of the final session)
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Secondary outcome [1]
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Acceptability of AllPlay Dance for families
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Assessment method [1]
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Online survey developed for this study
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Timepoint [1]
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Baseline and post-intervention (within 4 weeks of the final session)
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Secondary outcome [2]
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Follow-up of participation in community-based dance
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Assessment method [2]
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Online survey developed for this study
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Timepoint [2]
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Three months after completion of the intervention
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Secondary outcome [3]
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Feasibility of AllPlay Dance for families
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Assessment method [3]
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Implementation metrics (enrolment rates, dropout rates, attendance rates) collected through an audit of study records and attendance logs. This is a composite secondary outcome.
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Timepoint [3]
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Baseline, during the 9-week intervention period, and post-intervention (within 4 weeks of the final session)
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Secondary outcome [4]
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Changes in social functioning
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Assessment method [4]
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Social Responsiveness Scale – Second Edition
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Timepoint [4]
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Baseline and post-intervention (within 4 weeks of the final session)
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Secondary outcome [5]
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Changes in executive functioning
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Assessment method [5]
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Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function – Second Edition
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Timepoint [5]
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Baseline and post-intervention (within 4 weeks of the final session)
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Secondary outcome [6]
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Changes in emotional and behavioural functioning
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Assessment method [6]
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The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
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Timepoint [6]
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Baseline and post-intervention (within 4 weeks of the final session)
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Secondary outcome [7]
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Follow-up of experiences in community-based dance
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Assessment method [7]
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Online survey developed for this study
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Timepoint [7]
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Three months after completion of the intervention
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Secondary outcome [8]
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Feasibility of AllPlay Dance for buddies
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Assessment method [8]
448366
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Implementation metrics (enrolment rates, dropout rates, attendance rates) collected through an audit of study records and attendance logs. This is a composite secondary outcome.
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Timepoint [8]
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Baseline, during the 9-week intervention period, and post-intervention (within 4 weeks of the final session)
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Secondary outcome [9]
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Changes in parental stress
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Assessment method [9]
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Parental Stress Scale
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Timepoint [9]
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Baseline and post-intervention (within 4 weeks of the final session)
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Secondary outcome [10]
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Acceptability of AllPlay Dance for buddies
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Assessment method [10]
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Online survey developed for this study
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Timepoint [10]
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Baseline and post-intervention (within 4 weeks of the final session)
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Eligibility
Key inclusion criteria
For children:
1. Aged between 7 years to 12 years and 11 months at the time of randomisation
2. Pre-existing formal Autism diagnosis without a co-occurring diagnosis of intellectual disability
3. Able to understand and follow simple verbal and visual instructions
4. Available to attend the dance program in Term 3 (2025) or Term 1 (2026) if randomly allocated to the intervention group
4. Have not previously participated in a similar dance program in the community on an ongoing basis
5. Will not commence any other dance program during the 13-week intervention and data collection period
6. Living in Victoria, Australia
For parents:
1. Parent/guardian of a child with a diagnosis of Autism who is involved in the study
2. Sufficient English proficiency to provide informed consent and complete questionnaires
For buddies
1. Are currently/have previously completed training in dance
2. Have a working with children check
3. Are available to support at least one group of children through the dance program
4. Sufficient English proficiency to provide informed consent and complete questionnaires
5. Living in Victoria, Australia
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Minimum age
7
Years
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Maximum age
No limit
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Sex
Both males and females
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Can healthy volunteers participate?
Yes
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Key exclusion criteria
None
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Study design
Purpose of the study
Treatment
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Allocation to intervention
Randomised controlled trial
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Procedure for enrolling a subject and allocating the treatment (allocation concealment procedures)
Central randomisation by computer
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Methods used to generate the sequence in which subjects will be randomised (sequence generation)
A randomisation schedule will be pre-generated and loaded into the REDCap Online platform by an independent research statistician. Block randomisation (of various sizes) with a 1:1 ratio between groups, stratified by parent-reported child gender, will be used. Families with siblings enrolled in the RCT will be randomised in sequence based on the return of the primary caregiver's baseline surveys, with all subsequent siblings allocated to the same treatment group arm.
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Masking / blinding
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Who is / are masked / blinded?
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Intervention assignment
Parallel
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Other design features
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Phase
Not Applicable
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Type of endpoint/s
Efficacy
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Statistical methods / analysis
We aim to recruit approximately 60 families to ensure adequate statistical power while accounting for potential attrition. We also plan to recruit up to 60 buddies to support program delivery, with a target ratio of one buddy per one to two children. There may be occasions where the ratio extends to 1:3. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses will be conducted. Quantitative analyses will likely include mixed ANOVAs to assess changes in key outcome measures across time (pre- and post-intervention) and between groups (intervention vs control). Where appropriate, we will also explore change scores in relation to minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) and other relevant benchmarks for interpreting meaningful change. Qualitative and descriptive analyses will be used to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the program and to explore participants’ experiences, including engagement with community dance classes following the intervention.
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Recruitment
Recruitment status
Not yet recruiting
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Date of first participant enrolment
Anticipated
23/06/2025
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Actual
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Date of last participant enrolment
Anticipated
25/01/2026
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Actual
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Date of last data collection
Anticipated
19/07/2026
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Actual
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Sample size
Target
120
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Accrual to date
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Final
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Recruitment in Australia
Recruitment state(s)
VIC
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Funding & Sponsors
Funding source category [1]
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Commercial sector/Industry
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Name [1]
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Mecca M-Power Top-Up Scholarship
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Address [1]
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Country [1]
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Australia
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Funding source category [2]
319063
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Charities/Societies/Foundations
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Name [2]
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Grace and Emilio Foundation - AllPlay Dance Breaking Down the Barriers to Inclusion
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Address [2]
319063
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Country [2]
319063
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Australia
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Funding source category [3]
319062
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Commercial sector/Industry
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Name [3]
319062
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Mecca M-Power - Funding for the AllPlay Footy and AllPlay Dance research programs
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Address [3]
319062
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Country [3]
319062
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Australia
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Funding source category [4]
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Government body
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Name [4]
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Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship
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Address [4]
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Country [4]
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Australia
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Primary sponsor type
University
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Name
Monash University
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Address
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Country
Australia
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Secondary sponsor category [1]
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None
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Name [1]
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Address [1]
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Country [1]
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Other collaborator category [1]
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University
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Name [1]
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Deakin University
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Address [1]
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Country [1]
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Australia
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Ethics approval
Ethics application status
Approved
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Ethics committee name [1]
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Deakin University Human Research Ethics Committee (DUHREC)
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Ethics committee address [1]
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https://www.deakin.edu.au/research/support-for-researchers/research-integrity?a=438168
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Ethics committee country [1]
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Australia
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Date submitted for ethics approval [1]
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Approval date [1]
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02/06/2025
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Ethics approval number [1]
317664
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Ethics committee name [2]
317663
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Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee
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Ethics committee address [2]
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https://www.monash.edu/researchoffice/ethics
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Ethics committee country [2]
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Australia
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Date submitted for ethics approval [2]
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14/04/2025
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Approval date [2]
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20/05/2025
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Ethics approval number [2]
317663
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Summary
Brief summary
Community-based dance programs may offer multiple benefits for Autistic children, including improvements in motor, social, and cognitive functioning. However, rigorous empirical research, particularly randomised controlled trials, evaluating these benefits remains limited. This randomised controlled trial (RCT) aims to assess whether participation in the community-based dance program, AllPlay Dance, improves children’s movement abilities, social functioning, thinking skills, emotional and behavioural functioning, as well parental stress compared to a treatment-as-usual waitlist control condition, from pre- to post-intervention. Additionally, we will assess the acceptability and feasibility of the AllPlay Dance program post-intervention for families and buddies, as well as whether families continue participating in community-based dance programs and how they describe their experiences at follow-up.
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Trial website
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Trial related presentations / publications
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Public notes
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Contacts
Principal investigator
Name
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Prof Nicole Rinehart
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Address
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Monash University - 18 Innovation Walk, Clayton VIC 3168
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Country
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Australia
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Phone
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+61 411 623 297
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Fax
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Email
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[email protected]
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Contact person for public queries
Name
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Nicole Rinehart
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Address
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Monash University - 18 Innovation Walk, Clayton VIC 3168
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Country
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Australia
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Phone
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+61 411 623 297
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Fax
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Email
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[email protected]
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Contact person for scientific queries
Name
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Nicole Rinehart
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Address
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Monash University - 18 Innovation Walk, Clayton VIC 3168
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Country
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Australia
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Phone
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+61 411 623 297
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Fax
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Email
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[email protected]
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Data sharing statement
Will the study consider sharing individual participant data?
No
What supporting documents are/will be available?
No Supporting Document Provided
Results publications and other study-related documents
Documents added manually
No documents have been uploaded by study researchers.
Documents added automatically
No additional documents have been identified.
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