Exploring the impact of a clinical dance therapy program on the mobility of adults with a neurological condition using a single-case experimental design.

Background: This study built upon previous quasi-experimental design research studying the effectiveness of a 12-week dance therapy program for persons with a physical disability (DTPD) aiming to improve mobility.

Methods: We conducted a single-case experimental design (SCED), including pre- and post-interventions measures, with seven participants with repeated measures during pre-dance (A1), dance program (B) and post-dance phases (A2).

Results: Five participants completed the study and significantly (p < 0.05) improved their scores on the MiniBESTest; 2/5 and 4/5 improved scores for the 4 Square Step Test and the Multidirectional Reach Test-Behind, respectively, with very large effect size (ES). Aggregated ES (A1-A2) went from moderate to very large.

Conclusions: Results support the effectiveness of the DTPD program for adults with neurological conditions, and for the use of SCED to explore effectiveness of dance interventions for heterogeneous cohorts.