ERIC Number: EJ891863
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 9
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0040-0599
EISSN: N/A
Physical Education and Implications for Students with Asperger's Syndrome
Simpson, Cynthia G.; Gaus, Mark D.; Biggs, Mary Jo Garcia; Williams, James, Jr.
TEACHING Exceptional Children, v42 n6 p48-56 Jul-Aug 2010
In this article, James Williams, a young man with Asperger's syndrome (AS) shares his experiences taking physical education in a generalized education setting and discusses the implications for students with AS. He was diagnosed with AS when he was 9 years old. School was tough at times, especially when social interactions came into play. One of the toughest areas for him was physical education. Here, he was bullied, ridiculed, and forced to face up to some of his biggest fears. His experiences in physical education (PE) were mostly negative. The negativity relates to the fact that most tasks in PE were difficult for him. The authors believe that understanding the specific characteristics of students like James can help educators create a supportive physical education environment for individuals with AS. They added that successfully educating children with AS involves a deeper understanding of the disability and the implications for how the child's disability may directly affect his or her ability to participate to the fullest extent possible in the physical education setting.
Descriptors: Physical Education, Asperger Syndrome, Special Needs Students, Mainstreaming, Peer Relationship, Difficulty Level, Adapted Physical Education, Inclusive Schools, Behavior Problems, Emotional Problems, Academic Ability, Cognitive Ability, Teaching Methods, Psychomotor Skills, Interpersonal Competence
Council for Exceptional Children. 1110 North Glebe Road Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22201. Tel: 888-232-7733; Fax: 703-264-9494; e-mail: cecpubs@cec.sped.org; Web site: http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Publications1
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A