Recruiting
Early Phase 1

Pickleball Program

Sponsor:

Penn State University

Code:

NCT07432776

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 45

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Pickleball Program (Community-Based)

Study Details

Brief summary:

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.

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Study ID

NCT07432776

Start date

Feb 2, 2026

Status verified date

Feb, 2026

Completion date

Jul 15, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jun 15, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 45

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 18-45 years
  • Clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
  • Able to participate in group-based activities without caregiver support
  • Able to understand English and independently communicate without assistance
  • Available for at least two sessions per week for the intervention dates
  • Access to reliable transportation to the intervention site
  • Able to provide informed consent (i.e., no legally authorized representative)
  • Pre-exercise screening indicates medical clearance is not needed, based on ACSM guidelines

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Clinical diagnosis of intellectual disability (ID)
  • Does not have normal or corrected-to-normal vision
  • Actively participating in a racquet sport ≥1 time per week
  • Use of mobility aids
  • Moderate-to-severe joint pain (WOMAC pain subscale)
  • Neurologic conditions (cerebral palsy, severe head injury, progressive neurological disorders, epilepsy)
  • Individuals who cannot provide their own informed consent (i.e., have a legally authorized representative)
  • Individuals who require medical clearance for exercise based on the ACSM preparticipation screening questionnaire

Study Design

Enrollment

50 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

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.

Interventions

Pickleball Program (Community-Based)

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.

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). ]
  • Autism Symptom Severity (SRS-2 Total Score) [ 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). ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Locations

Penn State Harrisburg

Recruiting

Middletown, Pennsylvania, United States, 17011

Contacts

Daniel E Lidstone, Ph.D.

828-719-7002dbl5689@psu.edu

More Information

Sponsor

Penn State University

Last update posted

Feb 25, 2026

Last verified

Feb, 2026

Keywords

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • ASD
  • Autism
  • Adult
  • Pickleball
  • Sensory-Motor
  • Sensorimotor

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-08. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Penn State University on 2026-02-25.