Meaning of Adapted Physical Education

Adapted Physical Education (APE) is the art and science of developing, implementing and monitoring a carefully designed physical-education instructional programme for a learner with a disability, based on a comprehensive assessment, so as to give that learner the skills needed for a lifetime of rich leisure, recreation and sport experiences, and to enhance physical fitness and wellness.

In practice, APE generally refers to school-based programmes for students aged 3–21 years. It is a structured way to make physical education and sport accessible to all, through modified instruction, resources, space and environment, suited to the ability of each child with special needs.

The Adapted Physical Education National Standards (APENS) put it simply: APE is physical education that has been adapted or modified so that it is as appropriate for a person with a disability as it is for a person without one. In other words, it is a physical-education programme specially designed for differently-abled students so that the activities are safe, achievable, enjoyable and therefore successful. APE is beneficial even for infants and toddlers who need early-intervention services because of developmental delays — and, indeed, for people of all ages.

How "adapted" actually works in practice

APE is best understood as sitting along a continuum of three programme levels, moving from least to most individualised:

• General PE Programme — the regular class activity, used as-is wherever a child can safely take part.
• Modified PE Programme — the same activity with its rules, equipment or environment changed just enough to include the child, such as a softer or larger ball, a lower net, or a guide rope for a visually impaired runner.
• Specially Designed PE Programme — a programme built individually for a child who cannot benefit from either of the above, using special equipment, structured behaviour-management strategies and one-to-one support.

The starting point for placing a child correctly on this continuum is always a comprehensive assessment of the child's current motor skills, fitness level, and the specific nature of their disability. From this assessment an Individualised Education Plan (IEP) is drawn up, setting goals that are realistic, measurable and achievable for that one child — exactly the kind of plan the next section's objectives are built around. …