An interventional study of Yoga, dance and Mindful Movement in Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Autism, sponsored by USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 36 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-12.
Sponsored by USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
The goal of this study is to learn if a dance, yoga, and mindful movement program can improve the lives of adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD is a condition that can affect how a person communicates, connects with others, and experiences daily life. This study focuses on adults ages 18 to 35.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Participants will:
Rationale: A structured literature search was conducted to characterize the existing evidence base prior to designing this study. A PubMed search for "dance, Yoga and mindful movement" conducted on 5/12/2025 returned three results, of which two were relevant and pertained to movement-to-music and adapted yoga in people with multiple sclerosis rather than ASD. This informed the design of the present study as a formal evaluation of a multimodal movement program delivered as a non-invasive, non-treatment-based lifestyle intervention.
Design: This is a non-randomized, open-label, single-arm interventional study using a pre-/post-intervention, within-subjects design. There is no control or comparison group; each participant serves as their own comparator, with self-report data collected at baseline and at program end to characterize within-participant change. The study is classified as non-significant risk. Planned enrollment is 20-40 participants, all assigned to the single intervention arm.
Intervention structure: The intervention is a 12-week program delivered as one 60-minute in-person session per week at the USC Glorya Kaufman International Dance Center. The intended delivery model uses four instructors supporting a class of 20-40 participants, allowing adaptive, individualized support within a group setting. Each weekly session follows a consistent but flexible sequence that integrates yoga, dance, and mindfulness-based movement, with individual components mapped to specific intended mechanisms:
Assessment schedule and participant burden: Self-report assessments are administered at two timepoints - baseline (Week 0-1), conducted alongside eligibility screening, and post-program (Week 12-13), which includes follow-up testing and a reflective interview on program outcomes. The assessment battery is expected to take approximately 30-60 minutes at each timepoint. Participants complete the battery twice and attend up to 12 weekly intervention sessions over the study period.
Analytic approach: Analyses will focus on within-subject, pre-to-post change, using descriptive statistics and paired comparisons appropriate to the achieved sample size. Because the design is single-arm and non-randomized, results are intended to be exploratory and hypothesis-generating, supporting the design of larger, controlled studies.
Study team and data handling: The program is delivered by a multidisciplinary team spanning professional dance, certified yoga therapy, and inclusive dance pedagogy, in collaboration with Sacred Spectrum Movement Inc. (a 501(c)(3) supporting the neurodivergent community) and CorbinDances, Inc. Recruitment support and several study activities are performed by team members who will not have access to participant identifiers; identifiable-data access is restricted to designated study personnel.
1,030 studies on the registry are indexed under Autistic Disorder; 266 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 40 is below the median of 49 across 811 interventional studies indexed under Autistic Disorder.
Browse Autistic Disorder studies →This is the only study on the registry with USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance as lead sponsor.
Compared within Autistic Disorder, this study's primary condition as ClinicalTrials.gg classifies it; the registry's first condition term is Autism Spectrum Disorder. The counts are of registry records indexed under each term, refreshed daily. How we classify →
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
The Participants will take part in a Yoga, dance and mindful movement class for 60-minutes, once a week for 12 weks.
Other: Yoga, dance and Mindful Movement
A 60-minute yoga, dance and mindful movement class.
Harvard Flourishing Measure
Harvard Flourishing Measure - the unabbreviated title is the Harvard Flourishing Index (with the extended version being the Secure Flourishing Index, which adds the financial and material stability domain). Each item is scored from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 10, and the composite index is the average across items, so it also ranges from 0 to 10. Higher scores indicate a better outcome - that is, greater flourishing.Self-reported quality of life and overall well-being among adults with ASD following participation in the intervention.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of the intervention 12 weeks.
Social Communication Skills Questionnaire (Adults) - Rivermead Gate Medical Centre
Unabbreviated title: Social Communication Skills Questionnaire (Adults) - Rivermead Gate Medical Centre Minimum / maximum values: Not applicable - the questionnaire is not scored (responses are Yes / No / Not relevant only) Direction (higher = better or worse): Not applicable - no score is generated, so there is no better/worse numeric directionChanges are observed in social communication skills and socialization outcomes among adults with ASD participating in the dance, Yoga, and mindful movement program
Time frame: From the beginning of the intervention to just post. 12 Weeks
Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ)
Unabbreviated title: Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) Minimum / maximum values: 50 items, each scored 0 or 1, so the total ranges from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 50 Direction: Higher scores indicate a worse outcome in the sense the instrument measures - a greater number of autistic traits. (I'd avoid "better/worse" as a value judgment here; more precisely, higher = more autistic traits, lower = fewer.)
Time frame: From the beginning of the intervention to just post. 12 Weeks
RAND 36-Item Health Survey 1.0
Unabbreviated title: RAND 36-Item Health Survey 1.0 (RAND-36; the item content is essentially identical to the SF-36) Minimum / maximum values: Each of the eight subscale scores ranges from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 100 Direction: Higher scores indicate a better outcome - that is, a more favorable health state (better functioning, less limitation, less pain, better well-being)Physical, mental, and emotional health among adults with ASD following participation in the program
Time frame: From the beginning of the intervention to just post. 12 Weeks
Autism Spectrum Quality of Life (ASQoL)
Unabbreviated title: Autism Spectrum Quality of Life (ASQoL) Minimum / maximum values: The main ASQoL score is the arithmetic mean of items 1-8, each scored 1 to 5, so the total score ranges from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 5. The separate global item (item 9, "autistic identity") is also scored 1 to 5. Direction: Higher scores indicate a better outcome - that is, better quality of life. (This holds because items 6, 7, and 8 are reverse-scored, so higher always reflects better quality of life.)Changes are observed in self-reported quality of life and overall well-being among adults with ASD
Time frame: From the beginning of the intervention to just post. 12 weeks.
Plan to share: No
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