Effectiveness of Dance Therapy for Students With Mild Autism Spectrum Disorder in China

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.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Aged between 8 and 13 years. 2. Have a pre-existing clinical diagnosis of mild Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as documented in school or medical records. 3. Have no other serious physical health issues, such as severe chronic diseases, major surgical history, or health problems that affect quality of life. 4. Have no prior experience with dance therapy. 5. Written informed consent is provided by the participant's parent or legal guardian. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Children with serious physical health conditions that may affect their ability to participate in the study. 2. Children with prior experience in dance therapy. 3. Children whose parent or legal guardian does not provide written informed consent.