Effect of an 8-Week Pickleball Program for Adults With Autism: A Feasibility Trial With a Delayed-Control Design

Conditions

• Autism Spectrum Disorder

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

18 Years - 45 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Interventions

• Pickleball Program (Community-Based) — BEHAVIORAL
  Group-based beginner-friendly pickleball classes delivered in community indoor court facilities. Sessions occur twice per week for 8 weeks (16 sessions total), approximately 90 minutes per session, led by trained instructors.

Study Details

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if an 8-week, community-based pickleball program can improve sensory-motor function and reduce the severity of core autism symptoms in adults ages 18-45 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who can participate independently without a caregiver. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does participating in the pickleball program improve sensory-motor function (including visual-motor integration and proprioceptive bias), measured using the HaptiKart task and a pickleball skill assessment? 2. Does participating in the pickleball program reduce core autism symptom severity, measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale, 2nd edition (SRS-2)? Researchers will compare an early-start pickleball group to a delayed-start control group (who continues usual activities at first) to see if the pickleball program leads to greater improvements in sensory-motor outcomes and ASD symptom severity. Participants will: * Complete an in-person baseline visit at a local public library to provide written consent, complete surveys (SRS-2, PROMIS Depression and Sleep measures, and WHOQOL-BREF), and complete a video game-based sensory-motor assessment (HaptiKart). * Be randomly assigned to either start pickleball classes immediately or after an initial delay period. * Attend pickleball classes twice per week for 8 weeks (90 minutes per class; 16 sessions total), led by trained instructors at community indoor court facilities. * Continue their usual activities during periods when they are not assigned to pickleball classes. * Complete a brief pickleball skill assessment during the intervention period at their first and last class. * Complete follow-up assessments after each phase of the study to repeat surveys and sensory-motor testing. * Participants will also wear a small activity monitor (ActiGraph) during pickleball sessions to measure in-class physical activity levels, and complete brief online check-ins about safety/injury and program feedback during the intervention period.

Key Dates

Start date

Feb 2, 2026

Status verified

Feb 2026

Primary completion

Jun 15, 2026

Completion

Jul 15, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment

50 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Arms

• Experimental: Early Start Pickleball (Intervention)
  Participants assigned to this arm begin the community-based pickleball program immediately after baseline testing. They participate in supervised pickleball classes twice per week for 8 weeks (16 sessions total). Assessments are completed at baseline and after the Phase 1 intervention period. Participants then return to usual activities during Phase 2 and complete a follow-up assessment.
• Other: Delayed Start (Waitlist/Usual Activity Control)
  Participants assigned to this arm continue their usual activities during Phase 1 (no pickleball classes during this initial period). They complete baseline and post-Phase 1 assessments, then begin the same community-based pickleball program during Phase 2 (twice per week for 8 weeks; 16 sessions total). A final post-intervention assessment is completed after the Phase 2 intervention period.

Primary Outcome Measure

Sensory-Motor Function (HaptiKart task outcomes) [ Time Frame: T1 (Week 0, enrollment) may occur up to 4 weeks prior to initiation of pickleball intervention; T2 approximately 10 weeks after baseline (up to 12 weeks); T3 approximately 18 weeks after baseline (up to 20 weeks). ]

Locations (1)

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