Dance Programs for School-Age Individuals With Disabilities: A Systematic Review

in Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly

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Laura A. Prieto University of Wisconsin–Madison

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Justin A. Haegele Old Dominion University

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Luis Columna University of Wisconsin–Madison

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/apaq.2019-0117
Keywords:
children; disability; interventions; youth
First Published Online:
19 Jun 2020
In Print:
Volume 37: Issue 3
Page Range:
349–376
Restricted access

The purpose of this systematic review was to examine published research literature pertaining to dance programs for school-age individuals with disabilities by describing study characteristics and major findings. Electronic database searches were conducted to identify relevant articles published between January 2008 and August 2018. Sixteen articles met all inclusion criteria, and extracted data from the articles included major findings, study design characteristics (e.g., sample size), and dance program characteristics (e.g., location of program). The methodological quality of each study was assessed using the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool. Major findings expand on previous reviews on dance by including school-age individuals with disabilities. The critical appraisal of the articles demonstrates a gap in study design rigor between studies. Future research should aim to specify sampling strategies, use theories to frame the impact of dance programs, and provide a thorough description of ethical processes and dance classes.

Prieto and Columna are with the Dept. of Kinesiology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA. Haegele is with the Dept. of Human Movement Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA.

Columna (lcolumna@wisc.edu) is corresponding author.
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