Systematic review of dance activities for social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder

ObjectiveThis study aims to quantitatively assess the effects of dance activities on social skills and related behaviors in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder through a meta-analysis, thereby providing evidence-based support for clinical interventions.MethodsWe searched eight Chinese and English databases—PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang data, and VIP databases—up to March 20, 2025, for relevant literature and included randomized controlled trials that met the PICOS criteria. Two researchers independently conducted duplicate checks, double-blind screening, and data extraction using NoteExpress software. Quality was assessed using the Cochrane tool, and meta-analysis, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias testing were performed using RevMan 5.4 and Stata 18.0 software. The standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to assess the effect size.ResultsA total of 14 studies involving 312 participants were included. The meta-analysis showed that dance activities effectively improved social skill impairments in children and adolescents with autism [SMD = −1.96, 95% CI: −2.63 to −1.28, p < 0.00001], as well as communication skills [SMD = −1.87, 95% CI (−2.75, −0.99), p < 0.0001], social interaction [SMD = −2.04, 95% CI [−2.99, −1.09], p < 0.0001], repetitive behaviors [SMD = −1.50, 95% CI [−2.23, −0.77], p < 0.0001], and perceptual abilities [SMD = -1.64, 95% CI (-2.16, -1.12), p < 0.00001] showed positive improvements, but there was high heterogeneity among studies. Subgroup analysis suggests that age may influence the effectiveness of the intervention.ConclusionDance activities may positively impact social skills and related behaviors in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, with younger individuals showing more pronounced benefits. Optimal outcomes can be achieved through strategies such as incorporating peer interactions, extending intervention duration, and integrating medication management. However, caution is warranted in interpreting these findings due to significant sample heterogeneity and insufficient sample sizes. Future research should design more high-quality randomized controlled trials to further validate these effects.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD420251015850.