Background: Normative motor skill assessments occupy a privileged position in physical education scholarship and practice. So much so, in fact, they manifest as commonsense cultural arrangements in most movement contexts, including adapted physical education. The proliferation of such tools has generally been uncontested, until now. Purpose: We…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of early childhood adapted physical education (APE) and caregiver-implemented homework on the gross motor skill development of 19 young children with Down Syndrome (DS). The results of three groups were compared: (a) APE only, (b) APE plus picture card homework, and (c) APE plus instructional…

The parent-rated Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) has been revised to incorporate a wider age range, including adolescence. In this exploratory study, internal consistency and validity of the DCDQ-2007 was assessed using a community-based sample of 87 adolescents. Psychometric properties of the DCDQ-2007 were investigated…

An adaptive physical education program was implemented for two special classes of educable mentally retarded children, grades K-3 in California. Children from a regular kindergarten class also participated in the program. The program operated for 5 months, with children receiving motor skills training 40 minutes per day, 4 days per week. Analysis…

Individualized Education Programs (I.E.P.s), as specified by PL 94-142, attempt to guarantee that a person's past, present, and future needs are accounted for in their education. The author argues that persons responsible for I.E.P.s could profit from a developmental perspective. (MT)

The use of trampoline activities with multiple handicapped students is discussed. Management considerations in safety are noted, and developmental trampoline skills are listed beginning with bouncing for stimulation. Progression to limited independence and finally independent jumping is described. The position statement of the American Alliance…

Instructions and illustrations support this discussion of learning activities designed to remediate deficiences and build skills in balance and/or motor skills for mildly handicapped students who may not have access to physical therapy or adaptive physical education. Appropriate for both regular and special classes, activities include arm…

Guidelines are presented to special educators and adapted physical educators for assessing the psychomotor development of severely handicapped students. The importance of determining whether there is an abnormality in central nervous system development is emphasized. Assessment information is presented for 15 topic areas: reflex analysis, muscle…

The guidelines are intended to help educators plan and develop comprehensive motor development/physical education programs for the handicapped. Topics covered include the following (sample subtopics in parentheses): an overview of federal and state lgislation influencing future physical education programing (components of an individualized…

The author discusses how land activities can be adapted to water so that individuals with handicapping conditions can participate in circuit training activities. An initial section lists such organizational procedures as providing vocal and/or visual cues for activities, having assistants accompany the performers throughout the circuit, and…

Kicking activities are recommended to provide severely disabled children with greater coordination, improved dexterity, increased leg strength, and physical enjoyment. Steps are outlined to achieve three goals: touch a ball, push a ball, and kick a ball. Several teaching suggestions are provided. (JDD)

The I CAN-Achievement Based Curriculum (ABC) program was designed to improve teaching and the quality of basic motor skill instruction in the subject area of physical education, the instructional levels of elementary through secondary, and for all children (handicapped and nonhandicapped) in mainstream and/or special education settings. The…

Data from administration of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency and the Cornish Test of Motor Planning were taken on 120 children (5-13 years old), 60 of whom had been classified learning disabled (LD). Thirty of the LD Ss had been assigned to adapted physical education. The study sought to do two things: (1) determine whether the…

Activities designed to increase the movement ability and enjoyment of disabled students are described. The first section discusses three activities--aerial shuffleboard, aerial golf, and bottles and eggs--designed to improve eye-hand coordination and throwing ability. The use of cardboard walking stilts is discussed as a method to improve…

Examination of the influence of peer tutors on the academic learning time (ALT) of three moderately/severely mentally-retarded handicapped students in adapted physical education indicated that the presence of peer tutors had a positive effect on the ALT. (Author/CB)