CHAPTER
1
Introduction
to Adapted Physical
Education and Sport
Joseph P. Winnick
Chapter 1 Introduction to Adapted Physical Education and Sport
Adapted Physical Education
Adapted physical education is an
individualized program of physical and
motor fitness, fundamental motor skills and
patterns, and skills in aquatics, dance,
individual and group games, and sports that
is designed to meet the unique needs of
individuals.
Key Features
of Adapted Physical Education
• Individualized
• Long-term
• Active
• Meets unique needs
Plans Associated With
Adapted Physical Education
• Individualized education program (IEP)
• Individualized family service plan (IFSP)
• 504 plan
• Individualized physical education program
(IPEP)
Adapted Sport
. . . is sport modified or created to meet the
unique needs of individuals.
Aims and Goals for an Adapted
Physical Education Program
NASPE Content Standards
• Standard 1: Demonstrates competency in motor
skills and movement patterns needed to perform a
variety of physical activities.
• Standard 2: Demonstrates understanding of
movement concepts, principles, strategies, and
tactics as they apply to the learning and
performance of physical activities.
(continued)
NASPE Content Standards (continued)
• Standard 3: Participates regularly in
physical activity.
• Standard 4: Achieves and maintains a
health-enhancing level of physical fitness.
(continued)
NASPE Content Standards (continued)
• Standard 5: Exhibits responsible personal and
social behavior that respects self and others in
physical activity settings.
• Standard 6: Values physical activity for health,
enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and social
interaction.
Inclusion
Inclusion means educating students with
and without disabilities within the same
environment.
Important Points About Inclusion
• Inclusion is a powerful education movement
rather than a legal mandate.
• Inclusion is based on the belief that a
separate education is not an equal
education.
(continued)
Important Points About Inclusion
(continued)
• Total inclusion differs from the LRE
approach in that some acceptable
placements are not in a regular educational
environment according to LRE.
• Both LRE and inclusion recognize the
importance of support services for
successful implementation in regular
education settings.
Laws
• IDEA
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
• Olympic and Amateur Sports Act
• Americans with Disabilities Act
Least Restrictive Environment
Education in the least restrictive environment (LRE)
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 of the child’s disability is
such that education in regular classes with the use
of supplementary aids and services cannot be
achieved satisfactorily (OSE/RS, 2006).
Special Education
The term special education means specially
designed instruction at no cost to parents
or guardians to meet the unique needs of a
child with a disability, including instruction
conducted in the classroom, in the home, in
hospitals and institutions, in other settings,
and in physical education (OSE/RS, 2006).
Special Education
includes physical education
Physical Education
Must Be Made Available
It should be specially designed, if necessary.
Related Services
The term related services means
transportation and such developmental,
corrective, and other supportive services
required to assist a child with a disability to
benefit from special education (OSE/RS,
2006).
(continued)
Related Services (continued)
Related services include speech-language
pathology and audiology services, psychological
services, physical and occupational therapy,
recreation (including therapeutic recreation), early
identification and assessment of disabilities in
children, counseling services (including
rehabilitation counseling), orientation and mobility
services, and medical services for diagnostic and
evaluation purposes.
(continued)
Related Services (continued)
Related services also include school health
services, social work services in schools,
and parent counseling and training.
Physical Education
In IDEA, the term physical education means
the development of the following:
• Physical and motor fitness
• Fundamental motor skills and patterns
• Skills in aquatics, dance, individual and
group games, and sports (including
intramural and lifetime sports)
Free Appropriate Public Education
• Means that special education and related services
are provided at public expense, under public
supervision and direction, and without charge.
• Must meet the standards of the state educational
agency.
• Includes an appropriate preschool, elementary, or
secondary school education in the state involved.
• Provided in conformity with an IEP.
Education Practices Before Federal
Legislation
• Kids denied an education
• Lack of due process
• Use of mental age to deny instruction
• Education paid by parents
• Evaluation once in a child’s school career
• Emphasis on labels rather than needs
• Discriminatory testing
Highlights of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
IDEA and its rules and regulations require
• a right to a free and appropriate education,
• that physical education be made available to
children with disabilities,
• equal opportunity for nonacademic and
extracurricular services and activities,
• an individualized program designed to meet the
unique needs of children with disabilities,
(continued)
Highlights of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
(continued)
• programs conducted in the least restrictive
environment,
• nondiscriminatory testing and objective
criteria for placement,
• due process, and
• related services to assist in special
education.
Section 504
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
provides that no otherwise qualified
individual with a disability, solely by reason
of that disability, be excluded from
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or
be subjected to discrimination under any
program or activity receiving federal
financial assistance (Workforce Investment
Act of 1998).
Prerequisites for Appropriate
Benefits Under Section 504
• Equally effective services
• Services in as normal and integrated
settings as possible
Implications of the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990
• Extends civil rights to all areas of American
life.
• Requires that community recreational
facilities be accessible.
• Requires reasonable accommodations.
• Links skills learned in school with
community-based recreation.
Periodicals Associated With Adapted
Physical Education and Sport
• Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly
• Palaestra
• Sports ’N Spokes
Professional Organizations
• American Alliance for Health, Physical
Education, Recreation and Dance
(AAHPERD)
• National Consortium for Physical Education
and Recreation for Individuals with
Disabilities (NCPERID)
• International Federation for Adapted
Physical Activity (IFAPA)