Dance- and movement-based interventions for autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and exploratory meta-analysis
- 1School of Music and Dance, South-Central Minzu University
- 2School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
- 3School of Life Science and Health Engineering, Hubei University of Technology
Abstract
Objectives: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties in social communication, restricted and repetitive behaviors, and impaired adaptive functioning. Although behavioral and developmental interventions remain central to ASD management, the effects of dance- and movement-based interventions (DMIs) across different functional domains have not been fully clarified. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the effects of DMIs on overall autism symptom severity, social communication/social responsiveness, and motor function in individuals with ASD.
Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. Eligible DMIs included formal dance/movement therapy or dance movement psychotherapy and other structured dance- or purposeful movement programs in which movement constituted a central therapeutic or rehabilitative component. PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO were searched from inception to August 2026. Randomized and non-randomized controlled studies were not combined in the same primary meta-analysis. Randomized studies reporting sufficiently comparable outcomes were synthesized using standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) under random-effects models. Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2 and ROBINS-I, and certainty of evidence was evaluated using GRADE.
Results: Twelve controlled studies involving individuals with ASD were included and showed substantial variation in intervention format, comparator conditions, outcome measures, and risk of bias. Exploratory RCT-only meta-analyses included three studies for social communication/social responsiveness (n = 76; SMD = −0.68, 95% CI: −1.58 to 0.23; p = 0.15; I² = 72%) and three studies for motor function (n = 55; SMD = 2.04, 95% CI: −0.52 to 4.61; p = 0.12; I² = 92%); certainty of evidence was very low for both domains. Overall autism symptom severity was represented by one randomized trial (n = 30; SMD = −3.09, 95% CI: −4.19 to −1.99), resulting in low-certainty evidence and precluding pooling. Narrative synthesis identified potentially favorable signals in joint engagement, cooperative behavior, interpersonal synchrony, emotion inference, and gesture imitation, but these findings arose from small and heterogeneous studies.
Conclusion: The current evidence base for DMIs is small, heterogeneous, and of low to very low certainty. Structured narrative synthesis suggests possible domain-specific benefits, whereas exploratory pooled estimates for social communication/social responsiveness and motor function remain inconclusive. DMIs may have potential as complementary interventions for ASD, but larger, methodologically rigorous randomized trials with standardized interventions and outcome measures are required.
Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261495230 , identifier CRD420261495230.
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BibTeX
@article{meng2026dance,
title = {{Dance- and movement-based interventions for autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and exploratory meta-analysis}},
author = {Xiangyu Meng and Zhixi Xiang and Jun Wang},
journal = {Frontiers in Psychiatry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1994047},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1994047/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Dance- and movement-based interventions for autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and exploratory meta-analysis
AU - Xiangyu Meng
AU - Zhixi Xiang
AU - Jun Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Frontiers in Psychiatry
DO - 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1994047
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1994047/full
AB - Objectives: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties in social communication, restricted and repetitive behaviors, and impaired adaptive functioning. Although behavioral and developmental interventions remain central to ASD management, the effects of dance- and movement-based interventions (DMIs) across different functional domains have not been fully clarified. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the effects of DMIs on overall autism symptom severity, social communication/social responsiveness, and motor function in individuals with ASD. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. Eligible DMIs included formal dance/movement therapy or dance movement psychotherapy and other structured dance- or purposeful movement programs in which movement constituted a central therapeutic or rehabilitative component. PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO were searched from inception to August 2026. Randomized and non-randomized controlled studies were not combined in the same primary meta-analysis. Randomized studies reporting sufficiently comparable outcomes were synthesized using standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) under random-effects models. Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2 and ROBINS-I, and certainty of evidence was evaluated using GRADE. Results: Twelve controlled studies involving individuals with ASD were included and showed substantial variation in intervention format, comparator conditions, outcome measures, and risk of bias. Exploratory RCT-only meta-analyses included three studies for social communication/social responsiveness (n = 76; SMD = −0.68, 95% CI: −1.58 to 0.23; p = 0.15; I² = 72%) and three studies for motor function (n = 55; SMD = 2.04, 95% CI: −0.52 to 4.61; p = 0.12; I² = 92%); certainty of evidence was very low for both domains. Overall autism symptom severity was represented by one randomized trial (n = 30; SMD = −3.09, 95% CI: −4.19 to −1.99), resulting in low-certainty evidence and precluding pooling. Narrative synthesis identified potentially favorable signals in joint engagement, cooperative behavior, interpersonal synchrony, emotion inference, and gesture imitation, but these findings arose from small and heterogeneous studies. Conclusion: The current evidence base for DMIs is small, heterogeneous, and of low to very low certainty. Structured narrative synthesis suggests possible domain-specific benefits, whereas exploratory pooled estimates for social communication/social responsiveness and motor function remain inconclusive. DMIs may have potential as complementary interventions for ASD, but larger, methodologically rigorous randomized trials with standardized interventions and outcome measures are required. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261495230 , identifier CRD420261495230.
SN - 1664-0640
ER -