In order to prepare undergraduate students better for the realities of school life, instructors of some methods courses have started to use case studies for teaching. These cases are used to highlight the complexity and variability of the educational environment. This method of teaching, which has its roots in business, law, and medicine, has…

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007) estimates that one in every 110 children is affected by an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The prevalence of ASDs makes it very likely that every physical education teacher is teaching at least one student with an ASD. This article will provide physical educators with a brief overview of…

The purpose of this study was to delineate the development of the Computerized Evaluation Protocol of Interactions in Physical Education, a data collection program for multiple interaction behavior measures in elementary inclusive physical education settings. The theoretical and empirical base for the Computerized Evaluation Protocol of…

It is not clear how best to support youth with type 1 diabetes to participate in physical education (PE) at school. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of facilitators and barriers to PE in youth with type 1 diabetes and to determine how schools can help these individuals to be physically active. Interviews and focus groups were…

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…

Students with the most severe disabilities have special needs that cannot be addressed with general education curriculum modifications in a traditional prekindergarten-12th grade environment (Heward, 2006). It is essential that expert teachers with specialized educational background and training are prepared to adapt daily lessons to accommodate…

The purpose of this article is to provide information to general physical education teachers on how to conduct a self-contained adapted physical education (APE) class. The article begins with an example of a traditional model for a self-contained APE class, where all students work on the same goals using basically the same equipment and…

The inclusion of students with disabilities in general physical education (GPE) classes has become a concept and practice that is expected if not always understood. A review of inclusion in physical education literature suggested that GPE teachers possess less than favorable feelings towards the inclusion of students with disabilities in their…

The use of therapy-dog teams in programs for children with disabilities is becoming increasingly popular in school and therapeutic settings and has been shown to provide physical, social, and emotional benefits for the children. This article describes the basic steps for implementing therapy dog-assisted activities in physical activity programs…

"Designing and Implementing Effective Adapted Physical Education Programs" was written to assist adapted and general physical educators who are dedicated to ensuring that the physical and motor needs of all their students are addressed in physical education. While it is anticipated that adapted physical educators, where available, will typically…

This article summarizes the highlights of a one-day adapted physical education workshop, delivered to an audience of physical educators and undergraduate physical education students. Three experienced adapted physical educators and an individual who works full time for the Special Olympics shared their knowledge and expertise with the…

Physical education teachers and the profession are very often marginalized and minimized by administrators, parents, and students. Adapted physical education is no exception. There are several reasons for the lack of value given to teaching students with special needs in physical education, including issues with placement, stigmatization of…

Professional practice guided by the best research evidence is a usually referred to as evidence-based practice. The aim of the present paper is to describe five fundamental beliefs of adapted physical activity practices that should be considered in an 8-step research model to create evidence-based research in adapted physical activity. The five…

The participation of a student with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in general physical education can often be challenging and rewarding for the student and physical education teacher. This article addresses common characteristics of students with TBI and presents basic solutions to improve the education of students with TBI in the general physical…

Models-Based Instruction (MBI) is a comprehensive approach to teaching and learning. In MBI, a teacher becomes familiar with multiple ways (called models) to plan, implement and assess instruction, and then selects the model that can best promote specific kinds of student learning in each unit. By using several models within the same curriculum, a…