In acknowledgment of winter activities and New Year Resolutions this adapted physical education (APE) section will offer information that could be used to promote APE programs. The question, answer, and example format explains important aspects of APE that could be given to parents or caregivers, counselors, special education teachers, and PE teachers this spring semester to help assure that students with disabilities will be receiving appropriate physical education for this and next year's program. This information should be given to these individuals before the IEP meetings, however, if this is not possible present this information during the annual IEP meeting. Because many state and local ISD's do not recognize adapted PE or know the least restrictive environment (LRE) options for PE, students with disabilities, physical fitness, motor, sport, and recreational needs, might not be met. If parents and school personal understand (a) the federal law mandates for PE, (b) who decides, receives, and provides PE, and (c) what placement and services options should be made available for PE, then individuals with disabilities will have a better chance of receiving appropriate physical education. More information is available by linking to the websites provided regarding federal laws, programming, standards for APE, and winter activities.

Phillip Conaster
Adapted Section Editor

Adapted Physical Education Guidelines

Adapted Physical Education National Standards

The Arc a National Organization on Mental Retardation

The Rehabilitation Act Section 504

U.S. Department of Education Publication (1997, September) Individuals with disabilities Act of 1997.

Americans Disability Act or here

International Paralympic Committee

Special Olympics

Disability Sport Links

Adapted physical education (APE) is a relatively new term and most general PE teachers (GPE), special education teachers, parents, and administrators do no know what APE encompasses. For example, there are only 14 states that recognize APE as a defined teaching position. APE is often confused with general physical education. Because of federal laws and advocacy groups, more students with disabilities are entering our gymnasiums requiring adapted physical education. The purpose of this article, outlined in question/answer format, is to help all people involved with individuals who have disabilities better understand APE and hopefully provide more appropriate PE programming for students with disabilities.

Question: What is adapted physical education?

Adapted physical education is basically a specially designed physical education program for students with disabilities. APE programs include identifying students with disabilities who qualify for APE services, determining what skills and behaviors to teach (the IEP process), creating and implementing a program, and evaluating the progress of each student. These decisions are made through a collaborative process in which the GPE teacher, special educator, parent(s), and therapist(s) all work together to design an appropriate, individualized program.

On a more practical level, APE can be as simple as providing different equipment (e.g., larger, lighter or smaller), different rules (e.g., allowing a partner/buddy to ski alongside assisting in directions and turns), and different instruction (e.g., more demonstrations and physical assistance) to students with disabilities. On the other hand, APE programming might require more accommodations such as a specially designed behavior program (e.g., special plan for dealing with severe behavior outbursts), extra support (e.g, teacher assistant), and/or different goals and objectives from typically developing students (e.g., student learns how to push his/her wheelchair or stand independently). The key is, that the APE program is carefully designed for each student with a disability, meeting his/her unique learning and motor needs.

Question: Who should provide physical education services to a student?

One of the confusing things about APE is who is qualified to provide this specially designed program. Ideally, a certified APE (CAPE) specialist will create and implement the program. However, PL 105-17, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (federal law that outlines how to educate students with disabilities) allows each state to determine who is "qualified" to provide APE services to students with disabilities, and only a few states require APE services to be provided by a trained APE specialist (Block, 2000). Therefore, many school districts depend on GPE teacher to provide APE services to students with disabilities. It is assumed that GPE teachers are properly trained to provide APE, have the time to provide APE, and are willing to provide APE. GPE teachers who are required to provide APE services should seek advice from APE specialists "if available," physical and occupational therapists, special education teachers, and parents of student with disabilities.

Question: What types of activities are required in adapted physical education?

PL 105-17, IDEA, defines physical education as the development of: (a) Physical and motor fitness, (b) Fundamental motor skills and patterns, and (c) Skills in aquatics, dance, and individual and group games and sports (including intramurals and lifetime sports). Thus, physical education can include some or all components of the definition. Adapted physical education is referred to within IDEA as physical education, special physical education, movement education, and motor development. Basically, APE encompasses the same activities as GPE. However, APE activities are individually prescribed for students with disabilities while the GPE curriculum is assumed to be appropriate for all typically developing students. For example, all 4th and 5th grade students might take a physical fitness test and then work on physical fitness components. On the other hand, a child with a disability might need alternative ways to determine and practice functional physical fitness (e.g., demonstrating enough upper body strength to shoot a basketball at an 8' high basket; enough cardiovascular endurance to play a 10 minute hockey game without stopping and sitting down).

Question: What is inclusion and should all students with disabilities be included in PE?

IDEA definition of inclusion means to educate to the maximum extent appropriate in public or private institutions' students with disabilities and students who are not disabled together. Inclusion and least restrictive environment are not synonymous terms. The mandate is for education in the least restrictive environment, one alternative of which is inclusion into GPE class. The key question as to whether a student with a disability should be included is, can his/her individual and unique needs be appropriately achieved with supplemental aides and services (Block, 2000). However, to remove a student with a disability from the GPE environment, the burden is on the school system to clearly justify and document why this students' needs cannot be achieved in GPE.

Because IDEA has a strong commitment to educating all students together, it is very difficult to justify why students with disabilities could not be included successfully in PE with proper resources and adjustments to the curriculum. For example, if a student is visually impaired, they could be partners with a student who has normal vision, therefore during a basketball game they could run together, help in catching a ball and give directions for passing and shooting. Simple modification to rules, standards, and equipment will help allow students with disabilities to participate meaningfully and successfully.

Question: Who decides what educational services a student with a disability receives?

Each student's unique needs are discussed during an individual education program (IEP) meeting. Participants in this meeting include a representative of the school's administration, a qualified interpreter of the assessment(s), regular classroom teacher, special education teacher, physical education teacher, one or both of the student's parents, the student when appropriate, and other individuals related to the students education (e.g., speech therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, music therapist, etc.). These individuals jointly will decide what educational services are appropriate that includes physical education services a student might receive. The IEP process is required to address the students physical needs. Further, all students with disabilities are required to have physical education whether general or adapted.

Question: What is an Individualized Education Program (IEP)?

IDEA states that a free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment must include an individualized education program (IEP) for every student with a disability. The IEP is a federal document which lays out the program from which instruction and intervention is based. Each student should have long and short-term objectives. Long-term objective are for one year (e.g., students will demonstrate all the correct components of a chest-pass; student will show a 20% increase on upper and lower body strength). Short-term objectives are designed to be incremental steps (taking about 2-3 months) that lead to achievement of the long term goal. Using the chest-pass goal above as an example, a short term instructional objective might be: John will independently demonstrate stepping with his opposite foot when performing the chest-pass 4 out of 5 trials. Note how these short term instructional objectives have clear, measurable criteria.

Short term instructional objectives should be created so that there is a reasonable likelihood for success, and the GPE teachers are expected to do their best to help each student with a disability master the objective. A good barometer for successfully meeting the IEP objective for the student is: (a) if all skills are achieved, then objectives are probably not challenging enough and/or (b) if no skills were achieved, then objectives are probably too hard and skills should be broken down into simpler components. There should be a balance between obtaining objectives and challenging the student without creating feelings of failure. Assessment should always be a ongoing process.

Question: Who should receive adapted physical education services?

There is a two-part process to determine if a child qualifies for APE services. First, a child has to be identified as a "student with a disability" according to definitions presented in IDEA (1997). Once a student is determined to have a disability, then specific motor and fitness testing can take place to determine if the student qualifies for APE services. A school district should create standards for qualifying APE services (e.g., a 2 year delay or more in motor or physical fitness). IDEA requires that all assessments be implemented by a qualified person (again, in your district this may be the GPE), also more than one test is administered (e.g., standardized fitness test, behavioral checklist, teacher-made sport skills test). For example, the Brockport (1999) physical fitness test for physical and mental disabilities could be used as a standardized test. Block (2000) has a behavior checklist that examines how well a student follows directions, interacts with peers, and how well the student performs in a general physical education setting. Teacher-made cross country skiing test (components of standing, turns, and downhill run) or basketball test (components and accuracy of the dribble, chest pass, jump shot, and lay-up) could be used to determine sport skill ability. Assessment results are then presented and discussed at the IEP meeting to make a final determination if the student qualifies for APE services.

If a student with a disability needs specially designed APE, that program must be addressed in all applicable areas of the individual education program. Students who can participate fully in GPE without specialized modifications or with only minor modifications may not need IEP goals and objectives. However, IDEA mandates physical education services for all students with disabilities from 3 to 21 years of age. Winnick (2000) suggests elementary age students with disabilities should receive 30 minutes daily and secondary students 45 minutes for 3 days per week. Regardless whether a state requires physical education or not, students with disabilities are required to have some form of PE. For example, if GPE is not required for the general high school students, students with disabilities should still receive PE services. The responsibility of the school district is to provide all services that the IEP committee determine are appropriate for the student.

Question: What are the least restrictive environment (LRE) options in physical education that the IEP committee should address?

Least restrictive environment (LRE) refers to a mandate in IDEA that students with disabilities should be educated alongside students without disabilities whenever possible. Removal of students from the GPE setting should only occur when such a placement cannot be achieved satisfactorily, even when the student is provided support (Block, 2000). All services and supports depend on the IEP committee's recommendations about the individual's unique needs, appropriate education, and LRE. There are a variety of placement options for physical education such as full-time GPE without any extra support, APE consultant for GPE, part-time APE (fixed schedule such as every Tuesday and Thursday or alternating schedule which APE intervenes during specific skill development), or full-time APE. For example, a high school student who uses a walker might have difficulty participating in activities that require eye hand coordination such as basketball or hockey; therefore, an APE teacher may provide assistance during these units "fixed schedule." On the other hand, this same student might do well in a wrestling unit where no extra help is needed. Therefore, a flexible schedule, the student would be placed in the GPE class with an APE specialist providing consultative support for the wrestling unit. When activities are inappropriate (e.g., unsafe, very competitive, regulation games) the APE specialist can pull the student out of GPE and work on more appropriate activities. The key issue and concern should be where the students' unique needs could appropriately be achieved while considering the least restrictive environment mandates.

Question: Can therapy (e.g., physical therapy), therapeutic recreation or athletics be substituted for physical education?

IDEA clearly identifies physical therapy, occupational therapy, music therapy, dance therapy, and therapeutic recreation as related services which cannot substitute for direct services (i.e., physical education). This means related services cannot replace a physical educator or a physical education program. The objective of related services is to provide additional support to direct services.

Athletics is an extracurricular activity. Extracurricular activities cannot be substituted for physical education for a student with a disability. However, students with disabilities have the right to participate in athletics. Public Law 93-112 Section 504 specifically mentions physical education, intramurals, and interscholastic athletics, noting that where these services are provided for individuals without disabilities, people with disabilities must also be afforded the opportunity to participate, without discrimination on the basis of their disability. In other words, students with disabilities have a right to participate on the regular athletic teams provide by schools, or the school must provide appropriate special athletic opportunities such as Special Olympics or Wheelchair Sports, and funding should be made available (Stein, 1978). Therefore, if a student is interested in competing in winter sports such as alpine skiing, cross country skiing, figure skating, speed skating, snowboarding, or snowshoeing, then the school should provide means to achieve this endeavor. Note that, although you might not live in an area/region that provides particular sport competitions, you can participate in other area/regional games. Special Olympics and other competitive organizations will let athletes participate in regional games, if your region does not have that opportunity.

Question: How would the GPE and/or parent of students with disabilities recommend APE?

If the GPE teacher or parent feels the student with a disability would benefit from APE, then they could contact the student's case manager (most likely the student's special education teacher). The case manager could contact the school principal or the director of special education and request a referral for APE. The student would then be formally assessed in motor, fitness, and behavioral skills. Once the assessment is completed, the case manager would arrange an IEP meeting or a conference where the assessment results could be discussed. The IEP meeting will determined the level of support needed for appropriate PE. If the student's parents are not satisfied with the school system response to their concerns about their child, then there are due process procedures they could pursue.

Question: How could you become specialized in APE?

There are several ways to acquire specialization in APE (e.g., a person could take a series of classes either undergraduate or master level designed specifically for competency in APE). These programs offer courses dealing with physical, social, and mental aspects of individuals with disabilities. Programs also include information on assessment strategies, management ideas, inclusion techniques, and how to modify the instructional environment (e.g., equipment, rules, etc.). GPE teachers should check with their state's Department of Education because some states have credentialing programs for APE. Another, alternative is to take the Adapted Physical Education National Standard Test. This test is offered once a year and has a lifetime certification. However, before taking the test there are several requirements that must be satisfied. For more information about the National Standards Test contact the National Consortium for Physical Education and Recreation for Individuals with Disabilities.

Summary

The information in this article presents a overview of adapted physical education. Because more students with disabilities are being included into regular physical education, PE teachers will need additional training to achieve maximum success. To date, many physical educators are not trained to work with students that have disabilities, which is one of the leading reasons why appropriate intervention is not succeeding. However, training in adapted physical education would not only benefit students with disabilities but all students.