Adapted physical education is physical education that has been modified for students with disabilities so they can participate as fully as their non-disabled peers. It involves developing motor skills, physical skills, and skills in sports and activities. Students with disabilities like learning disabilities, ADHD, or hearing impairments may need instruction tailored to their specific needs, like oral instructions, immediate feedback, multi-sensory teaching, or visual aids. Adapted physical education aims to make physical activity accessible to all students.

1. ADAPTED PHYSICAL
EDUCATION
April Wood
ITEC 7530
Georgia Southern University

2. What is Adapted Physical Education?
• Adapted Physical Education is physical education
which has been adapted or modified, so that it is as
appropriate for the person with a disability as it is for a
person without a disability.
Adapted Physical Education National Standards. (2014). What is Adapted Physical Education.
Retrieved from http://www.apens.org/whatisape.html

3. Physical Education Development
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)
Adapted Physical Education National Standards. (2014). What is Adapted Physical Education.
Retrieved from http://www.apens.org/whatisape.html

4. Students with Learning Disabilities
• These students will demand more of your time and
patience
• Require specialized instructional strategies in a structured
environment that enhances their learning potential
• Need differentiated instruction
tailored to their distinctive
learning abilities
TeacherVision. (2014). Teaching Students with Disabilities. Retrieved from
https://www.teachervision.com/special-education/new-teacher/48460.html?page=1&detoured=1

5. Physical Education for Learning Disabled
• Provide oral instructions for tests and other reading
materials for students with reading disabilities
• Give immediate feedback for students to see the
relationship between what was taught and what was
learned
• Make activities short and concise
• Provide video and technology for instructions and
demonstrations
• Provide students with items they can touch, hear, smell,
etc.
TeacherVision. (2014). Teaching Students with Disabilities. Retrieved from
https://www.teachervision.com/special-education/new-teacher/48460.html?page=1&detoured=1

6. ADHD Students
• 3% to 5% of the school-age population have ADHD
• 35 million children under the age of 18
• Typically have difficulties with attention, hyperactivity,
impulse control, emotional stability, or a combination of
those factors.
TeacherVision. (2014). Teaching Students with Disabilities. Retrieved from
https://www.teachervision.com/special-education/new-teacher/48460.html?page=1&detoured=1

7. ADHD Physical Education
• Make your instructions brief and teach one step at a time
• Carefully monitor work from one activity to another
• Adjust work time so it matches attention spans
• Combine both visual and auditory
information with iPads,
computers, or projectors
TeacherVision. (2014). Teaching Students with Disabilities. Retrieved from
https://www.teachervision.com/special-education/new-teacher/48460.html?page=1&detoured=1

8. Students with Hearing Impairments
• Hearing impairment may range from mildly impaired to
total deafness.
• Provide written, pictorial, and/or audiovisual directions
• When addressing the class, be sure to enunciate your
words for students who have been taught to read lips.
• Provide a variety of multisensory experiences for students
TeacherVision. (2014). Teaching Students with Disabilities. Retrieved from
https://www.teachervision.com/special-education/new-teacher/48460.html?page=1&detoured=1

9. Physical Education Resources
• Adapt-Talk (http://www.lyris.sportime.com/adapt-talk-index.
html)
• Adapted Physical Education National Standards
(www.apens.org)
• Human Kinetics (http://www.humankinetics.com/)
• National Consortium on Physical Education and Recreation
for Individuals with Disabilities (http://www.ncpeid.org/)
• PE Central (www.pecentral.org)
• Special Olympics (http://www.specialolympics.org/)

10. Physical Education Resources
• TeacherVision (www.teachervision.com)
• Therapeutic Recreation
(http://www.recreationtherapy.com/)
• Thera-Talk (http://www.lyris.sportime.com/thera-talk-index.
html)