Here are a few reasons that I believe Adapted Physical Education is not a common discussed field in education.
The Benefits Are Not Well Known To Public:
One of the major factors with Adapted Physical Education's obscurity is that the benefits of APE are not well known to the public. Physical Education teaches to three learning domains: cognitive, affective and pychomotor. It is well documented that from APE, students with disabilities can gain greatly in motor movement, cognitive prowess and social skills.
Children with special needs can gain major self-esteem/self-image benefits from participating successfully in group activities and feeling that they are contributing to a team. APE can provide a hands-on approach that can lead to cognitive improvements which teach to a different learning style than a traditional classroom setting. The most obvious of the benefits from APE are the physical benefits. Students with disabilities need to learn fundamental motor skills and physical fitness to help them lead healthier life styles as well as have more opportunities to engage in recreational activities. If these benefits were more effectively publicized, I believe that would be a tremendous opportunity for the APE field.
Children with special needs can gain major self-esteem/self-image benefits from participating successfully in group activities and feeling that they are contributing to a team. APE can provide a hands-on approach that can lead to cognitive improvements which teach to a different learning style than a traditional classroom setting. The most obvious of the benefits from APE are the physical benefits. Students with disabilities need to learn fundamental motor skills and physical fitness to help them lead healthier life styles as well as have more opportunities to engage in recreational activities. If these benefits were more effectively publicized, I believe that would be a tremendous opportunity for the APE field.
General Physical Education Is Being Cut:
The picture above shows the cuts that have been made to public schools over the last few years and how this has affected P.E. directly. As you can see, these are pretty substantial and it may prompt some to start thinking why APE is necessary if we do not even have general physical education.
Although I strongly advocate that you write your local representatives to try and deter these cuts, one must keep in mind that Adapted Physical Education is a right that many students under IDEA are entitled too (this is explained more in depth in a past blog). With these cuts in physical education, it seems that the government is putting health and fitness to the wayside, although we have an obesity epidemic in America. With these cuts, the government is sending a message that PE is not as important as other academics. I believe our youth need PE now more than ever, and our children with disabilities need PE coupled with direct and individualized instruction to improve their quality of life.
Lack of communication within the digital age:
I have surfed the internet for hours trying to find different Adapted Physical Education blogs and resources. The truth is, it is a small field and the resources I have found are limited. I believe that as a field, we need to use digital media (such as Twitter, Facebook, and blogs) more effectively to try and convey our message about the importance of APE.
Although I have been to many terrific conferences and have met a multitude of passionate APE teachers and gained a lot of ideas from them, we need more resources that are available for our practitioners. We are currently living in the Information Age, where the internet can connect us with one another in mere milliseconds. As a field, I believe we need to be using this technology more effectively to communicate with one another and with the public. Using blogs/social media to connect to others could greatly enhance instruction and awareness in the APE field.
With that being said, here is a list of great resources that can be found on the internet that pertain to APE:
With that being said, here is a list of great resources that can be found on the internet that pertain to APE:
- This is a resource to use to find out what APE is and how to become APE certified.
- The Sport and Development website has a nice section on adapted sports and it describes the benefits of sports and physical activity for people with disabilities.
- PE Central is a well-known website that has activities and lessons for PE teachers. The site also includes a section on APE that includes a decent amount of resources.
- A blog from the Friendship Circle that discusses how to best include students with disabilities in the gym setting.
There are also a few good examples of what a Adapted Physical Education setting should look like. Here is group of APE teachers who make videos on how to modify cues and equipment from California.
Laws and regulations not being properly enforced:
In my opinion, the greatest reason why Adapted Physical Education continues to be an after thought in many districts is because states and local districts are not properly enforcing schools to comply with laws and regulations. Whilestates and districts are neglecting APE, it is our students that are suffering. Trying to bring awareness of the importance of APE to our local and state representatives is a major and necessary priority. Now the question is what is the best way to go about this?
After Thoughts:
As an educator, I want my field to expand and benefit more children. I believe we can accomplish this through having an open dialogue about how to best solve this crisis of obscurity. I would love to get some feedback on this blog and start an online dialog about how to find solutions to this ongoing problem.
