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Adapted Physical Education at Denver Public Schools
The Adapted Physical Education Specialist will provide support and collaboration with physical education teachers, paraprofessionals, and physical/occupational therapists providing high-quality instructional resources and best practices in physical education for students with disabilities.
Through Adapted physical education students with disabilities have the opportunity to experience a quality physical education program that meets their individual needs while providing them the opportunity to reach their maximum potential.
The terms “adapted” and “adaptive” should never be used interchangeably when describing specially designed physical education services (Sherrill, 1998). “Adaptive” is a term that describes behaviors, skills or functions. The goal for specially designed physical education services is to adapt equipment, modify rules, environment or instruction to best suit the child's needs, not to change the student.
What is Adapted PE?
Taken from the Adapted Physical Education National Standards (APENS) website.
Adapted Physical Education is physical education which has been adapted or modified, so that it is as appropriate for a person with a disability as it is for a person without a disability.
Federal law mandates that physical education be provided to students with disabilities and defines Physical Education as the development of:
physical and motor skills
fundamental motor skills and patterns (throwing, catching, walking, running, etc)
skills in aquatics, dance, and individual and group games and sports (including intramural and lifetime sports)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1990) uses the term disability as a diagnostic category that qualifies students for special services. These categories include:
Autism
Deaf – Blindness
Deafness
Hearing impairment
Intellectual disability
Multiple disabilities
Orthopedic impairment
Other health impairment
Serious emotional disturbance
Specific learning disability
Speech or language impairment
Traumatic brain injury
Visual impairment including blindness
The services provided by an APE teacher include (adapted from Sherrill, 1998):
Planning services
Assessment of Individuals /Ecosystems
Prescription/Placement: The IEP
Teaching/Counseling/Coaching
Evaluation of Services
Coordination of Resources and Consulting
Advocacy
The APE teacher is a direct service provider, not a related service provider, because physical education for children with disabilities is a federally mandated component of special education services [U.S.C.A. 1402 (25)]. This means that physical education needs to be provided to the student with a disability as part of the special education services that child and family receive. This is contrasted with physical therapy and occupational therapy, which are related services. These therapies are provided to the child with disabilities only if he/she needs them to benefit from instruction.
Check out these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Adapted Physical Education provided by SHAPE America.