Welcome!
As a graduate student from TWU, I developed this website as a tool for students, teachers, and families to access for information regarding Adapted Physical Education and Activity. I hope that you find the information within this site useful for your current and future endeavors.
Click the link below to view additional background and educational information about myself.
Jessica Banes ATC, CAPE, MS, MAT
What is Adapted Physical Education?
Adapted Physical Education (APE) involves developing and implementing physical education which has been carefully adapted or modified for individuals with disabilities who qualify for services. APE services also include: planning, assessing, placement, teaching, evaluation, coordination of resources and consulting, and advocacy. Each program is based on individual assessments which are used to develop physical education programs that provide the following components: physical and motor skills, fundamental motor skills and patterns, and skills in aquatics, dance, and individual and team sports. APE programming is about providing each student the opportunity to learn the skills necessary for a lifetime of rich leisure, recreation, and sport they can experience with their friends and family.
Who is an Adapted Physical Education Teacher?
An Adapted Physical Education (APE) teacher is a direct services provider under the federally mandated component of special education. APE teachers receive highly specialized training in assessment and evaluation of motor competency, physical fitness, play, leisure, recreation, and sport skills. They have the skills necessary for developing and implementing appropriate, individualized physical education plans for students with disabilities.
The Council for Personal Preparation for the Handicapped [Disability] requires that all APE teachers learn the following competencies:
The Council for Personal Preparation for the Handicapped [Disability] requires that all APE teachers learn the following competencies:
- Knowledge of motor characteristics, behaviors, and developmental sequences (including birth through age 22) associated with various disabilities in relation to normal motor development;
- Knowledge of neurological basis of normal and abnormal motor control and sensory motor integration methods for teaching physical education to individuals with severe disabilities, nonambulatory individuals, and individuals with multiple disabilities;
- Skills in psychomotor assessment and a variety of physical education techniques and procedures for implementing the individual education plan; and
- Developmental teaching methods/materials and gymnasium organizational abilities in physical and motor fitness, fundamental motor skills and skills in aquatics, dance, individual and group games and sports for individuals with disabilities and/or motor problems