The reluctant athlete:
Easy PE adaptations for home and school
by Ellen Notbohm

Physical activity is critical to any child’s overall health, and yet it’s a regrettable truth that for every child who adores PE class, there’s another for whom it is the worst part of the day. Many adults harbor hard-to-forget childhood feelings of hurt at "always being the last one picked for the team." Today, PE struggles for its place in the schools against the perpetual threat of budget cuts. Unlike math, spelling or reading, PE classes are generally mass affairs wherein students are not grouped by ability level and are therefore instruction is not paced or adapted accordingly. The one-size-fits-all nature of PE class can leave some children feeling frustrated and demoralized, but fortunately, there are many ways to accommodate the lesser-skilled child in a manner that promotes success and self-esteem.

The following adaptations can be done either in the PE class or at home to help your child improve at common sports activities.

• Bear in mind that PE can be a confusing mix of motor skills, rules and all the social complexity that goes along with the concepts of teamwork and competition, offense and defense. Teach one skill at a time. It’s not reasonable to expect a child to remember a slate of rules if he is focusing hard on learning a motor skill.

• Vary the size of the equipment: a larger or smaller ball, a heavier or lighter bat, a larger racket head with a shorter handle, a golf club with a larger head. Most school districts employ adapted physical education specialists, teachers trained in making modifications to equipment and curriculum so that all children can participate in general education PE classes. An APE teacher can help locate adaptive equipment.

• Allow two hands for typically one-handed actions: dribbling the basketball, rolling the bowling ball, handling the tennis racket.

• Decrease distances: between bases, from the tee to the hole, from the mound to the plate. Stand closer to the net to serve; lower or eliminate the net. Stand several steps over the foul line at the bowling alley. Adjust the accommodation as skills increase.

• Slow the pace of the activity down. Lengthen or shorten times as needed.

• Provide oral or visual prompts or cues. Visual aids are always a plus!

• When introducing rules, make sure to explain them to the child in a manner that he understands, even those that might seem obvious or ‘simple.’ A child who has never been exposed to baseball won’t automatically know how to play right field – that when the ball comes towards him, he might need to run one way or another, forward or backwards, to catch it. And what if it lands midway between center and right field – who runs for it? Team sports are highly complex. Even the most obvious rules, like running to the next base, usually involve many options.

• Support from a peer partner may be more readily accepted than instruction from an adult. Choose a partner whose skills are good but not so elevated as to make your child or student feel inadequate or discouraged.

• Allow frequent rests if needed.

• Use a tee for softball, baseball, tennis, golf.

• Allow extra bounces in volleyball, tennis, racquetball, basketball.

• Allow drop serves in racket sports.

• Do the activity in an area with minimal external distractions.

• Halt the activity if you sense the child’s frustration building. Take a break or have the child engage in a calming activity and then try again, or end the session and move onto something else.

• Keep instructions short and clear. Do not use sports lingo unless you are sure the child understands the terminology. Always check for comprehension.

• Participate with your child in at-home activities, and allow her to choose: "I’d love to play with you after dinner. Shall we jump rope or toss the Frisbee?"

Have the school’s PE teacher and/or adapted PE teacher send home a weekly note or email regarding what the week’s activities will be or have been. Reinforce at home, not just with the activity itself, but also in talking about it, asking questions about it, reading or looking at books about it. Try Coach John and His Soccer Team by Alice Flanagan, Everyone Wins at T-Ball by Henry and Janet Grosshandler or My Basketball Book, Gail Gibbons. Children’s sports movies include Little Big League (baseball), The Big Green (soccer), Little Giants (football) and The Mighty Ducks (hockey).

In this age of growing concern about childhood obesity, it’s important to recognize that all physical activity is beneficial to a child’s well-being, and that even children who struggle with gross motor skills will improve with practice -- with the added benefit of increased self-confidence. Parents and teachers exploring physical activities for their children or students should liberate themselves from any constraints imposed by self or others as to what constitutes a legitimate "sport." Although many children enjoy soccer, basketball and baseball, team sports are not for everyone. There is a lot to be said for seeking out the less populated sports: they may be much more welcoming of beginners, even offering sample courses or mini-lessons. Many children thrive in the "big fish in a small pond" atmosphere of the lesser-known sport. Bocce, anyone?

Consider the myriad ways to enjoy sports and physical activity outside the typical arena of team sports.

Endless possibilities exist for meaningful physical education at any and all levels of a child’s development. Pursued at an individual pace, physical activity can give a child more room for growth, achievement and enthusiasm right alongside better health. In the marathon of life, isn’t that real success, after all?

This article adapted for a general audience from 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders by Ellen Notbohm and Veronica Zysk, a Learning magazine 2005 Teacher’s Choice Award winner. Ms Notbohm is also the author of Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew and Ten Things Your Student with Autism Wishes You Knew, both ForeWord Book of the Year finalists and iParenting Media Award recipients. For book excerpts, and information, article reprint permission or to contact Ellen, please visit www.ellennotbohm.com .

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