Adapted Phy. Ed. Is It in Your Child’s IEP? It Should Be.

Several years ago I was working with one of my in-home athletes and his visiting uncle asked “Doesn’t he get gym at school?” I assumed the answer was, as it is for many school-age individuals with autism, “not really.” The problematic lack of adapted PE programs across the US is systemic. There are, however, a few main points to consider. The goal for any IEP is to provide the same opportunities, as appropriate to their abilities, as neurotypical, or general population students. So what is adapted PE supposed to include? How does it compare to Physical Education for other students? If you think that physical fitness and regular activity should be widely available to students with special needs, read on. If not, you should be perfectly content with the current state of Adapted PE.

The IDEA Act of 2004 states that students with disabilities shall have access to “physical education,” defined by the development of:

• Physical and motor skills
• Fundamental motor skills and patterns
• Skills in aquatics, dance, and individual and group games and sports (including intramural and lifetime sports).

http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/pe.index.htm

In the most current version of New York State (where I reside), it is stated that Adapted PE is a “Direct” and not a “Related” service, meaning it is a requirement for all students with disabilities.

http://www.nysed.gov/common/nysed/files/programs/curriculum-instruction/new-york-physical-education-learning-standards-2020.pdf

Both the federal and state mandates are clear in that students must have access to physical education programs, which confuses me more each time I speak at a conference and hear from attendees that they have essentially no adapted PE program in their school, or district, for that matter. Usually, it is explained as a “budget issue,” but it is odd to me, and yes I have a professional bias, that while other academic programs are spared (barely, but still), physical education is a comparatively easy curriculum to cut. Parents should know that their school district is required to provide and adaptive PE program.

As a parent it is, unfortunately, important to not assume that simply because Adapted PE is on the IEP (and it should be), that adequate programming is being provided. In the introduction to this article I mentioned that there are some systematic issues with Adapted PE. One of those problems is the predominant focus on team sports (basketball, football, soccer, baseball) by general physical education programs. Many Adaptive programs try to emulate what goes on in the typical PE class, so there are “adapted” versions of these sports. Here is where, from my perspective as an Exercise Physiologist, things begin to unravel:

Problems with using Sports-based activities as a foundation for Adapted PE

Many individuals with ASD and related developmental disabilities do not have the prerequisite gross motor skills (basic strength, stability, and movement) to perform more finite sport-specific activities

Sport-specific activities do not have much generalization (cross-over) to daily living skills

The concepts in sports (competition, winning, losing, offense/defense, rules) are often too abstract for those with ASD/DD

When things are too abstract, they usually aren’t reinforcing or motivating

Sports require a good amount of set-up and instruction time, taking away from the limited minutes available for activity. The Inactive: Active ratio is too high

It is difficult to regress, or simplify sports activities to a point where they provide benefit for many individuals with ASD/DD

Advantages of Movement and Active Play-based Programs as a foundation for Adapted PE

Can be individualized to meet the specific goals of the IEP (increased upper body strength, coordination, hip mobility, etc.)

Activities can be modified for individuals within a group/class and for the group/class as a whole

Greater opportunity for exploratory play (initiation) and self-efficacy

Ability to develop more strength, stability, motor control, and movement planning through movement-based activities that include bending, pushing, pulling, crawling, climbing, jumping, etc.

Can improve in both adaptive and cognitive abilities in a shorter amount of time than sport-based activities (more motivating/reinforcing, greater ability to understand concepts, contingencies, and directions)

Can develop specific activities based around social skills and other academic/life skill targets

Can incorporate a wider variety of novel equipment (including sandbags or beanbags, medicine balls, cones, spot markers, hula hoops, ropes, etc.)

I like lists for everything: from my own training sessions to the grocery store to chores around the house. I keep a written list of to-do stuff for my business, home, and personal life right next to the keyboard on which I’m writing this article. Below is a list of questions that parents should be asking about their child’s Adaptive Physical Education IEP:

8 Questions to Ask

1. How many hours of APE is my child receiving each week?*
2. Who wrote the IEP for his/her APE program?
3. What are the current goals for his/her program?
4. Why were these goals chosen?
5. Who is going to be running the program?
6. How will they measure progress?
7. What activities will be involved in their physical education program?
8. Are there specific activities that we can incorporate in the home or other places?**

*Specific mandates are set by the state board of education

**If you want to get involved yourself

About three years ago I developed the PAC Profile as a template for Adapted PE programs. It is meant to be a foundation for developing individualized, movement-based programming and having the ability to track goals in the areas of Physical, Adaptive, and Cognitive functioning. Because federal mandates are, and state mandates tend to be, vague with respect to an exact curriculum, we have the opportunity, as professionals and parents, to reclaim physical education as the foundation for health, independence, and socialization when the right questions are asked and the right curriculum is provided.

Eric Chessen, M.S., YCS Eric Chessen, M.S. is the creator of the PAC Profile Assessment Toolbox (autismfitness.com), PAC Profile Workshop series, and consults with special needs programs around the world. Available on autismfitness.com

Photo credit qwrrty on Flickr / cc

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This post originally appeared on our March/April 2013 Magazine