During the last month(s) of the school year students with disabilities should be tested on overall motor ability (fitness, gross/fine motor, sports skills). Assessment should be used to guide instruction and placement, which could include extended year service (EYS) opportunities. This article will present ideas for testing, different types of assessments, and how EYS could apply to some student with disabilities.

Phillip Conaster
Adapted Section Editor

Adapt the Fun for Everyone! - Physical Activity and People with Disabilities. This is a site to obtain tips and resources in regard to adapting a physical education program.

Adaptation: Making Toys and Games
Fun for All. This site is to help you select and adapt toys and activities so they will fit a range of aptitudes, personalities and play circumstances.

Let's Play! Project - A model demonstration project at the University at Buffalo Center for Assistive Technology, the Let's Play Project looks to provide families of children with disabilities with ways to play through the use of assistive technology.

This excellent web site features informative, illustrated sections on the role of play, families, assistive technology, success stories, and resources. The web site includes fact sheets on toy characteristics, adapting toys, favorite electronic and non-electronic toys, and toy catalogs for children with special needs. There is also an excellent resource guide with links to web sites, vendors, and more.

Playgrounds for ALL Kids!- Why should we make ALL playgrounds accessible to kids with disabilities? Read also a related article in regard to accessible playgrounds. It's a 28 page PDF document that can be printed.

Welcome to... We Can Play!
By Kirsten Haugen & Alice Wershing
Here are 9 different activity ideas to use with children of all abilities.

	Bicycles & other wheels
	Car Travel
	Cooking
	Dance & Movement
	Playgrounds
	Assessable Sand Play
	Grocery Shopping
	Picnics and Parties
	Water Play

Wheelchair Sports and Recreation for Kids - This page is a wealth of great resource links. Well worth checking out! See also this great list of summer camps for kids with various disabilities.

Activity Ideas for Developmental Disabled Individuals - Here you will find 45 FUN activities for kids of all abilities.

The Effect of Disabilities on Play Skills - This article was presented at a developmental conference by Mary Owen Ed. Specialist in Santa Barbara in 1998. The training covered the topics of developing play and social skills in Pre-School children with special needs. It was a well rounded presentation with broad applicability.
-Julie Loe

Pacific Lutheran University: Teaching Adaptions - Throughout this site are various ideas and links about how a teacher can adapt physical activities to fit the needs of disabled and special needs students. In this site you will find classroom applications, disabilities awareness adaptations for activities, and adaptations for disabilities.

You will find specific classroom lessons as well as some power point presentations to help you with your own classroom. Adapting to each and every student that needs help is the main purpose of this page. It is important to be prepared and knowledgeable when teaching students with disabilities, and this site is dedicated to facilitate this. - source: site

Extended year services (EYS) is a summer Individual Educational Plan (IEP) that applies to all the curriculum areas including physical activity. Usually a student will qualify for this program for the following reasons:

(a) Recoupment in the fall; meaning a pretest will be taken at the end of the Spring semester, then 6 weeks after school has started in the Fall a post test is given. If the student has not regained skills to the pretest level he/she could qualify for in EYS the next summer; (b) degree of progress toward IEP objectives; meaning some areas of the curriculum may need to be continued if the student is expecting a breakthrough, or a new skill is just emerging, such as a student with autism is just beginning to communicate and play with other students during PE. Therefore, these skills may need to be fostered during the summer; and (c) the nature and/or severity of the disability; for instance the summer break causes significant delays, such as a student having a progressive disorder like Muscular Dystrophy, or a condition that could worsen like Cerebral Palsy. To maintain range of motion (ROM) and strength the student could have EYS.

During the IEP meeting EYS must be discussed and a physical education instructor should be present, not only for input on next year's objectives but possible EYS opportunities. Note, an IEP meeting can be conducted at any time, even during the summer if the guardian, administrator, interpreter/diagnostician, and teacher are available. The rest of this article will give suggestions for assessing student's performances, and different tests will be presented that APE instructors can use for students with disabilities.

Why is it important to assess before participation?
	Safety
	Assessment helps instructors to develop goals and objective that build on skills already taught.
	Assessment helps in placement (EYS).
	Assessment helps in instructional intervention.
	Assessment helps students, caregivers, and instructors have a sense of accomplishment when goals and objective are accomplished or maintained.

What should you do prior to an assessment of an individual with a disability?
	What skills do the instructor want to assess?
	What skills are of interest to the student?
	What skills are other student doing?
	What skills does the caregiver feel are important?
	What equipment is available?
	Is this test testing what I want it to test?
	Is the test valid and reliable?
	Does the test have ecological value?
	Is this test going to help the instructor write the Individual Educational Plan (IEP) (nondiscriminatory)?
	Is this test going to help the student receive special services if needed?
	Is this an appropriate test given for the disability, age, sex, and behavior?
	What is the student's present level of health, best mode of communication, and any other personal attributes that should be considered.

Things for instructor to think about during testing:
	Test should be in natural environment (e.g., during play, outside or inside, grass or turf, competitive or cooperative).
	Limit distractions, limit noise, and limit excess or unused equipment from the environment.
	Plan ahead for personnel, equipment, and become very familiar with the test.
	Explain test questions clearly and understandably to students (demonstration, physically shaping, verbal clues, pictures).
	Allow the student opportunity to ask questions.
	Present skills in a friendly, encouraging, playful fashion.
	Testing should not exceed 45 minutes to an hour. If necessary give test over several days.

Observation and interview:
	Include in assessment student's overall functional abilities.
	Include the student's strengths and weaknesses.
	Be sensitive to cultural diversity.
	The student or caregiver should be considered experts about student's abilities and needs.

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