Including Students With Disabilities

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Including Students With Disabilities

• Whitney Hebard
• February 20, 2006

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Objectives

• Demonstrate knowledge about the disability laws
• Express awareness for students with disabilities
• Know strategies for adapting instruction
• Define Individual Education Plan (IEP)
• Know the IEP process
• Have an open mind toward people with disabilities
• Know the steps to inclusion in the classroom

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Current Laws

• Public Law 94-142
• Amendments
• IDEA Public Law 101-746
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

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Public Law 94-142

• Passed in 1975
• Specifically includes Physical Education
• 1975
• Focus on child find
• 1980s
• Emphasis on implementation
• Parental involvement
• Addressed preschool and toddler education
  programs
• Secondary schools focus on transition skills

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IDEA Public Law 101- 476

• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
• Passed in 1990
• 1990s
• Change in terminology
• Handicapped changed to children with
  disabilities
• 1996
• Strengthened services to at-risk children
• Provisions for free appropriate education from
  ages 3 21
• Extension for developmental delays in children
  ages 3 9
• Children need to receive progress reports
• Changes to the IEP process

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IDEA Principles

• Free appropriate public education that meets the
  childs needs
• The rights of children with disabilities and
  their parents are protected
• Assist states and communities in providing for
  the education of all children with disabilities
• Assess and ensure the effectiveness of the
  education provided to children with disabilities

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Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

• Increase eligible students to include the
  following conditions
• Drug or alcohol dependency
• ADD or ADHD
• Communicable diseases (including HIV)
• Learning disabilities without severe discrepancy
  between ability and achievement
• Social maladjustment
• Other health compromises
• Insulin dependent diabetes, asthma, severe
  allergies, arthritis, epilepsy, and temporary
  disabilities

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IEP Process

• Identify the student as possibly needing special
  services
• The student is evaluated using reliable
  instruments to determine education performance
• PE description should include
• motor output, evidence of sensory input system
  disfunction, inappropriate reflex behavior,
  sensory integration deficit, motor planning
  deficit
• Locomotor, nonlocomotor, and manipulative
  competency
• Physical fitness level
• Ability to participate and engage in a variety of
  activities
• Ability to use community based resources to
  fulfill movement and participation needs

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IEP Process

• The IEP team decides if the student is eligible
  for special education and related services
• The team has 30 days to meet and write an IEP
• The IEP team includes
• The student (when appropriate)
• The parents or guardians
• The special education teacher
• An evaluation interpreter
• Regular teachers (including the PE teacher)
• A school representative
• Transition services representative
• The IEP team writes out steps and immediately
  implements them

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IEP Content Sections

• Current Performance
• Annual Goals
• Short-term instructional objectives
• Special education and related services
• Participation with nondisabled students
• Participation in state and districtwide tests
• Dates and places
• Transition service needs (age 14)
• Needed transition services (age 16)
• Age of majority
• Measuring progress

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Overview of Disabilities

• Cognitive Delays and Intellectual Impairments
• Learning Disabilities
• Chronic Illness
• Physical Disabilities
• Hearing and Visual Impairments

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Cognitive Delays and Intellectual Impairments

• Some may appear clumsy or awkward, have
  difficulty with balance, and lack efficient motor
  task performance
• May have had less practice with motor skills and
  may have slower reaction times
• Some language difficulties
• Difficulty with postural reflexes
• Less developed cardiorespiratory system
• Slower or less able to interact spontaneously
  with a changing environment

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Downs Syndrome

• Most common chromosomal disorder that leads to
  cognitive delays and intellectual impairments
• Extra 21st chromosome
• 5,000 children born with DS each year
• IQ scores between 25 and 50
• PE can improve the physical and psychomotor
  abilities of people with DS

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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

• Caused by the mother abusing alcohol during the
  pregnancy
• Alcohol impairs the brain development of the
  fetus
• FAS is the leading cause of cognitive delays and
  intellectual impairments in live births
• Results in poor motor coordination, hypotonia,
  and ADD or ADHD disorders

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Fragile X Syndrome

• Most common inherited cause of cognitive delays
  and impairments
• Caused by an abnormal X chromosome
• May be hyperactive, experience attention
  deficits, and demonstrate aggressive outbursts
• May experience poor balance, poor coordination,
  and tactile defensiveness

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Learning Disabilities

• Appear normal in physical, social, and mental
  development, but fail to reach their academic
  achievement potential in school
• 4 signs to look for
• Intellectual potential and academic performance
  do not match
• There are learning problems that are not caused
  by mental retardation, emotional disturbance, or
  environmental disadvantage
• Cognitive, affective, or motor development may be
  uneven
• Clear signs of central nervous system dysfunction
  may or may not be present
• May be caused by neurological, genetic, or
  environmental factors

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Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders

• Signs/Symptoms
• Difficulty paying attention to instructions,
  tasks, assignments, and social interactions
• Problems with organization
• Speak out of turn, disruptive
• 10-20 of school age children experience some
  form of ADHD

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Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders

• ADHD ADD with Hyperactivity
• Short attention span, poor listening skills,
  impulsiveness, restlessness, and easy
  distractibility
• ADD-WO ADD without Hyperactivity
• Loses thought patterns, shows delayed responses,
  delays in recalling names and descriptions
• ADD-R ADD Residual
• Adolescents who have not outgrown ADD

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Chronic Illnesses - Asthma

• Chronic lung disease
• Obstruction of the airways and airway
  inflammation
• Asthma attack may feel tightness in the chest,
  shortness of breath, wheezing, dizziness, and dry
  cough
• Severe attack tensing of the neck muscles,
  inability to talk, grayish or blue fingernails
• Using medication or inhalers can usually ward off
  attacks

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Chronic Illnesses Diabetes Mellitus

• Caused by a deficient insulin source
• Type 1 insulin-dependent diabetes
• Controlled by insulin, diet, and exercise
• Type 2 non-insulin-dependent diabetes
• Controlled by diet, exercise, and oral medication
• Check blood sugar levels (Glucometer)
• Levels between 80 and 120 are acceptable
• Hyperglycemia (over 120)
• Tired, sluggish, cranky, increased thirst,
  frequent urination
• Cannot participate
• Hypoglycemia (under 80)
• Lack energy, aggitated, lightheaded, and confused
• May have sweaty palms, feel shaky, and look pale

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Cerebral Palsy

• Condition impairs voluntary movements
• Caused by a lesion to the brain
• Occurs in 1 or 2 live births out of 1,000
• Difficulty performing simple gross motor
  movements
• Experience muscle spasticity, muscular
  contractures, and hypertonicity

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Epilepsy

• Present in approximately 2 of the population
• Caused by abnormal electrical activity in the
  brain
• Experience episodes of altered consciousness,
  motor activity, sensory phenomena, or
  inappropriate behavior
• Avoid activities that may involve direct blows to
  the head and heights
• Prohibit underwater swimming

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Spina Bifida

• Occurs in 1 out of every 1,000 live births
• Result of a defective closure of the vertebral
  column
• Symptoms from mild muscle imbalance to paralysis

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Arthritis

• Inflammation of the joints
• 1 crippling disease
• Juvenile Arthritis
• Stills Disease
• Afflicts children before the age of 7
• 250,000 kids
• Physical exercise works well to reduce pain and
  improve motor function
• Stretching and improving range of motion is
  important

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Hearing Impairments

• Hard of hearing or deaf
• Have difficulty with language comprehension,
  social interactions, and motor development
• Use instruction that includes visual and
  kinesthetic techniques
• Sign language may be useful

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Visual Impairments

• Blind or partially sighted
• Approximately 1 of the population
• Visual dysfunction 20-30 of school aged kids
• Motor development is usually delayed
• Provide sensory stimulus other than
  demonstrations (verbal and tactile)

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Unrestrictive Inclusive Environment

• Assess students needs and performance abilities
• Use effective methods for individualizing
  instruction
• Engage students in activities where they will be
  successful
• Facilitate interaction with other students and
  group activity
• Be patient, reinforcing and consistent in your
  behavior and expectations
• Work to help the student make the transition to
  lifelong activity and community events

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Steps to Inclusion

• Assess your program to see if you are breaking
  down all of the barriers
• Facilities
• Ability to move around lockers, showers, and
  toilets?
• Easy to get in and out of gymnasium, pool, or
  weight room?
• Is travel between locker room and indoor or
  outdoor facilities easy?
• Are there opportunities for full participation
  and success?
• Can everyone evacuate safely in an emergency?

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Steps to Inclusion

• Curriculum
• Program includes everyone and is based on the
  NASPE standards
• Support Personnel
• Class buddy, teacher assistant, teacher aide,
  adult volunteer
• Equipment
• Provide alternate equipment based on student
  needs
• Behavior Management
• Positive reinforcement
• Consistent consequences

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Steps to Inclusion

• Program Participation
• Full independent participation in regular PE
  class
• Full independent participation in younger PE
  class
• Full independent participation in some units,
  with support in other units
• Full independent participation in some parts of
  the daily lessons, with support in others
• Participation with support in some units, with
  separate PE for other units
• Participation with support in some phases of the
  daily activities, with separate PE for other
  phases
• Separate but equal adapted PE in the same
  building with typically developing peers
• Separate but equal adapted PE in the same
  building with peers with disabilities
• Adapted PE at home, a hospital or in an
  institutional setting

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Summary

• Understand diversity
• Embrace uniqueness
• Some disabilities are noticeable, others are not
• Know the disability laws
• Be a part of the IEP process
• Inclusion is the cornerstone of equitable
  education

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Resources

• Himberg, Catherine, Hutchinson, Gayle E., and
  Rousell, John M. (2003) Teaching Secondary
  Physical Education. Human Kinetics. p120-139.