Social Circus for People with Disabilities: A Video Analysis through the Lens of the MOHO.
Bianca A D Thompson, Kieran Broome
PMID 33776601WHAT IT FOUND
YouTube videos of social circus for people with disabilities showed fun, achievement, flexible roles, teamwork, and transferable skills like balance and communication.
They describe possibilities, not proof that circus improves outcomes.
Key findings
01Participants in the videos described social circus as fun, joyful, and a chance to try new things and achieve.
02The videos showed transferable performance capacities such as balancing, grasping, reaching, strength, and posture.
03The videos showed adaptable settings, friendships outside circus, and inclusion, but also some independent or parallel practice.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The data were 26 YouTube videos, not recruited patients or measured outcomes. The authors note YouTube videos are biased toward positive, curated experiences, so negative or challenging aspects may be missing. One coder analysed all 26 videos, and the authors had prior circus experience, which may have influenced interpretation. Videos in languages other than English could only be analysed visually or through English subtitles, so some spoken content was omitted. Because many circus activities were shown together, the videos cannot identify which component produced any described benefit.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the reported benefits as evidence that social circus causes improved participation or health. This was a qualitative analysis of publicly posted YouTube videos, not a trial, and the authors note videos are biased toward positive, curated experiences.