Adapted Physical Education Chapter 1

 What are some positive experiences you recall from your K-12 experiences regarding students with special needs?

What is Adapted PE  1. The term "adapted physical education" means physical education that meets the unique needs of any child (Sherrill, 2003).

What is Adapted PE  2. Developing, implementing, and monitoring a carefully designed physical education instructional program for a learner with a disability based on a comprehensive assessment in order to give the learner the necessary skills for a lifetime of recreation, sport, fitness, and wellness (Winnick, 2000). –How is this different from PE for students without disabilities?

Why do you take APE?  Brainstorm: –

Prevalence of Children with Disabilities  ~11% of the school age population –Therefore, on average in a class of 30 students, you will 3 with unique needs  Twice as many males as adults  Most (85%) have mild disabilities

Prevalence of Children with Disabilities

Definition of a Disability  A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual. Major life activities include, but are not limited to, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.

Role of APE teachers  What are some of the roles of APE teachers? –Work with a partner and list 4 on a separate sheet of paper –Draw on your experience as K-12 students and as teacher candidates.

Role of APE Teachers  Instruction in accordance with educational plan  Inclusion (mainstreaming) or separate classes  Part of total educational team –Classroom teachers, special ed teachers, nurse, speech pathologist, OT/PT  Creates community collaborations  Prevent secondary disabling conditions –Obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension

History of APE  1952 – Committee on APE of AAHPERD –Adopted a resolution to accommodate children with disabilities in PE programs.  1968 – Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) –Requires that buildings designed, built, altered, or leased with funds supplied by the United States Federal Government be accessible to the public. Facilities that predate the law generally are not covered but upon major renovations or alterations, the building must become ABA compliant.

History of APE  1973 The Rehabilitation Act (PL ) –Designed to prevent discrimination on the basis of disability in institutions receiving federal funds. Section 504: “Individuals with disabilities cannot be excluded from any program or activity receiving federal funds, based solely on the disability. In physical education, intramurals, extracurricular or interscholastic athletics, a reasonable accommodation must be made to include a student with disabilities who wishes to participate.”

History of APE  1973 The Rehabilitation Act (PL ) -Defined a qualified individual “as a person with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity” such as self-care, manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working. -Later reauthorized by the Americans with Disabilities Act

…History of APE  1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act (also called PL ). –All public schools receiving federal funds to provide equal access to education for children with physical and mental disabilities. –Later reauthorized by IDEA, therefore the original law is rarely cited. –This law was a dramatic step forward for individuals with disabilities and included 3 MAJOR provisions:

…History of APE  1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL ). –1) FAPE - Free, Appropriate Public Education for all children between the age of means that special education and related services are provided at public expense without charge in the appropriate setting: classroom, home, and hospitals. includes an appropriate preschool, elementary, or secondary school education in the state involved

…History of APE  1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL ). –2) IEP - Individual Education Plan The IEP is a process in which parents, educators, and the student work together to ensure that the student is able to achieve his or her designated goals. (Auxter, Pyfer, Huettig, 1997).

…History of APE  1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL ). –3) LRE - Least Restrictive Environment The setting that enables an individual with disabilities to function to the fullest of his or her capability. “Education in the least restrictive environment means that individuals with disabilities are educated with individuals who are not disabled, and special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular physical education environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily” (OSE/RS, 2002).

Some Education Practices Before PL  Students with disabilities denied an appropriate education  Lack of due process or recourse  Educational expenses borne by parents  Infrequent evaluation of child’s performance  Discriminatory testing  Many other practices

…History of APE  1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act –Interestingly, PL has provided the ONLY legal definition of physical education: –(I) the development of: (A) physical and motor fitness; (B) fundamental motor skills and patterns; and instruction in aquatics, dance, individual and group games, and sports (including intramural and lifetime sports). (Federal Register, 1977a) What is the significance of the definition?

…History of APE  1980 – Education for All Handicapped Children Act. –Expanded the age range covered by the law from 3-21 to infants and toddlers from birth to 3 years old. –Instituted in the IFSP (individual family service plan) Not discussed extensively in this course

…History of APE 2 Journals devoted to APE  1984 – Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly (APAQ) first published. –Not accessible via CSU library database  1984 – Palaestra 1st published ( –Is accessible via CSU library database  Other adapted sources: include Perceptual and Motor Skills, European Journal of Special Needs Education, Disability and Rehabilitation,  PE Journals: JOPERD, JPTE, TEPE, Physical Educator, Quest, Research Quarterly, Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy…

…History of APE  1990 Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) –Renamed PL as IDEA –Changed the term handicapped to individuals with disabilities (person first language) –Added autism and TBI as disability categories Adding coverable disabilities is important because only students who have a specified disability (classified) are eligible for special education services and funding! –Adapted physical education (APE) must be taught by “qualified professionals,” aka YOU.

…History of APE  1990 Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) –Specified that physical education is a service required BY LAW and therefore, MUST be provided (no excuses). Physical education is not a related service.

Related Services  “Related services” are OPTIONAL support services provided in addition to the direct services required by law. –Related services include speech and audiologist services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, therapeutic recreation, early identification, counseling services, school health services, social work, parent counseling and training, orientation and mobility services, medical services for diagnostic and evaluation purposes, and others not specified above.

…History of APE  1990 Americans with Disabilities Act –Mandated the elimination of discrimination against all Americans with a qualifying disability. In essence, it extended civil rights protection for individual with disabilities to all areas of life including employment, public services, transportation, public accommodations, services of private entities, telecommunications, state/local gov’t… Provided the basis for such statements: “We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.” (or equal opportunity) The act does not specifically target education but certainly impacts it.

…History of APE  1990 Americans with Disabilities Act –Reauthorized the definition of a qualified individual and the Architectural Barriers Act of –PE related provisions: Requires that community recreational and sport facilities be accessible (bowling alleys, golf courses, downhill and cross country skiing centers, boat and canoe rentals, etc) Requires “reasonable accommodations” that do not produce “undue hardship” –What might be and undue hardship?

…History of APE  1994 – Publication of the Adapted Physical Education National Standards (APENS) –National examination became available for those wishing to become certified adapted physical educator specialists (CAPES) –APENS and CAPE information can be found at:

…History of APE  1997 – Reauthorization of IDEA (Public Law ) –See overview documentSee overview document –ADD/ADHD and obesity were added to the list of conditions in "other health impaired." –Significant changes were made to regulations with regard to state-wide assessments. Appropriate accommodations and modifications in administration, if necessary. Provide for the conduct of alternate assessments for children who cannot participate in the general assessment

…History of APE  2004 – Reauthorization of IDEA (PL ) –Overview documentOverview document –IDEA is periodically reauthorized

Words with Dignity