Drumming Lessons' Influence on Children With Down Syndrome

NCT07156318 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 230465
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if drumming lessons can increase self-control in children with Down syndrome. The main question it aims to answer is whether 2 months of drumming lessons can improve the behavioral control and timing skills in children with Down syndrome. Participants are between 7 and 15 years of age and receive two months of drumming lessons given by a professional drummer with extensive experience working with children with Down syndrome. Children in the experimental group visit our lab once before lessons start and once after lessons are completed. Children in the control group visit our lab twice before they start their lessons. Lab visits include brain recordings taken using a net-style cap, computer tasks, and drumming to music.

Conditions

Down Syndrome

Keywords

Children with Down syndrome;; Effects of drumming lessons; Effects on brain and behavior; Inhibitory control; Beat perception; Intervention study

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Zoo task

  Behavioral "Go/No go" task done on a computer designed to assess children's inhibitory control

  Baseline to two months

• Statue task

  Child is encouraged to 'become a statue' by holding their body in a position and not moving

  Baseline to two months

• Beat Perception

  EEG measure of brain activity during passive listening to music

  Baseline to two months

• Beat production

  EEG and behavioral measures of when child thinks beat is happening during music or metronome

  Baseline to two months

Study Arms (2)

Experimental group

EXPERIMENTAL

Experimental group will receive the drumming lesson intervention between baseline and testing approximately 2 to 3 months later, so the effects of the intervention can be assessed in the lab measures.

Behavioral: 2 months of drumming lessons given by a professional drummer with extensive experience working with children with Down syndrome

Control group

OTHER

Children in the Control condition will receive drumming lessons only after they have completed lab baseline and testing measures, about 2 to 3 months later.

Behavioral: Lessons after measurement

Interventions

Lessons after measurement BEHAVIORAL

Receiving lessons after the two lab visits should still offer any possible positive effects to participants while still allowing us to compare the Control group children's behaviors to those of the Experimental group.

Control group

2 months of drumming lessons given by a professional drummer with extensive experience working with children with Down syndrome BEHAVIORAL

Drumming lessons consisting of how to use hands to drum on djembe drum, using alternating hands to drum, drumming to a metronome and to music.

Experimental group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 7 Years - 15 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Down syndrome

You may not qualify if:

• Already taken drumming lessons
• Uncorrected hearing loss
• Uncorrected vision loss

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Vanderbilt University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee, 37203, United States

RECRUITING

Related Publications (1)

• Cahart MS, Amad A, Draper SB, Lowry RG, Marino L, Carey C, Ginestet CE, Smith MS, Williams SCR. The effect of learning to drum on behavior and brain function in autistic adolescents. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Jun 7;119(23):e2106244119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2106244119. Epub 2022 May 31.

  PMID: 35639696 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Down Syndrome; Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Intellectual Disability; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Abnormalities, Multiple; Congenital Abnormalities; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities; Chromosome Disorders; Genetic Diseases, Inborn

Study Officials

• Amy Needham, PhD

  Vanderbilt University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Miriam Lense, PhD

  Vanderbilt University Medical Center

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Amy Needham, PhD

CONTACT

16154999992; amy.needham@vanderbilt.edu

Caroline Danforth, MS

CONTACT

(615) 343-1079; caroline.danforth@vanderbilt.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 15, 2025
• First Posted: September 5, 2025
• Study Start: February 15, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027
• Last Updated: May 19, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)