Running head: BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SPECIAL EDUCATION 1

PPE 310: Health Literacy for Schools

Benefits of Physical Activity in Special Education
Signature Assignment
Yunan Niu & Jennifer Alderson
Course # 26040 Chavez
Dr. Hesse

BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

Introduction
Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles
that require energy expenditure (World Health Organization, 2016). Physical activity will
benefit all of individuals especially the children with special needs. It will be an outlet for
their physical energy and help them cope with stress, anxiety and depression (Lorna,
2013). Children with special needs are usually weaker than the typical kids; they may
have less muscle strength or weaker bones. Therefore, appropriate physical activities are
very necessary for them to increased strength, improved mental wellbeing, and better
overall function (Murphy & Carbone, 2008). For example, balls, balloons, beanbags,
dice, hula-hoops and jump ropes can be all used to design a physical activity. According
to the researches, physical activity will have the lifelong impact on both behaviors and
academics for the children with special needs. The program implemented into special
education classrooms is called, Get fit in the classroom! and will be implemented by
special education teachers.
Review of Current Literature
Physical activity benefits children in any classroom including special education
classrooms; just because the students have specific needs does not mean they cannot
participate in physical activity. Six studies investigated the effects of group fitness
programs for children with disabilities. In these fitness interventions they incorporated
warm-up, strengthening, aerobic activity, and cool down; the results improved
cardiovascular function, strength, speed, functional mobility, self-perception, and high
levels of satisfaction. Not only were these children benefitting their health, but they were
having fun as week as the article states, All of the studies described some level of

BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

enjoyment, satisfaction, and/or physical benefit for the activities investigated (Johnson
2009). It is important as a special education teacher to not limit your students physical
activity; push them to their limits and show them they can do it.
Much less attention as been given to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder due to
their motor deficits. However, it is still significant for these children to have some
physical activity in their daily routines. There was as study done with a group of children
with Autism Spectrum Disorder between the ages of 9-18 years old that studied their
physical activity patterns. The study showed, Older children with autism spectrum
disorder are significantly more physically inactive, compared to younger children
(MacDonald 2011). This problem needs to be addressed because high school students
need to have physical activity in your life to stay healthy. The article states, Disturbing
statistics suggest that children with autism at 40% more likely to be overweight and obese
compared to their typically developed peers (MacDonald 2011). Special education
teachers need to be aware of this statistic and start incorporating physical activity into
their class on a daily basis. What teachers need to understand is that they dont need to
make their students run a marathon, or do 100 jumping jacks in order to do physical
activity; a simple activity that involves moving around the room is still sufficient.
According to a study, It is incumbent upon all educators to become familiar with the
impact of physical activity on exercise to enhance student quality of life (Menear 2004).
The purpose of this study is to look at the physical activity for students with disabilities.
The study will focus on barriers and determinants of physical activity, outcomes of
physical activity, and activity patters of people with disabilities. Some students may have
a physical disability that will stop them from transferring weight training equipment,

BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

however, there are accommodations a teacher can make to ensure that their student is
getting the physical activity he/she needs. Another barrier students might have is a
program barrier, which refers to the lack of knowledge about the interests and needs of a
person with a disability. Teachers can break this barrier by talking to their students about
their interests and planning the physical activities accordingly. There is always a way to
modify and accommodate for a student during physical activity.
Pediatricians and parents may overestimate the risks or overlook the benefits of
physical activity in children with disabilities (Murphy 2008). Just because a student has
a disability doesnt mean they should be limited on the amount of physical activity they
do from day to day. There are programs out there that help students with disabilities
participate in physical activities. Health is an important factor in physical activity but it
also fosters to much more such as the context in which people form friendships, develop
skills and competencies, express creativity, achieve mental health, and determine
meaning and purpose in life. Despite what people may think, Currently, a wide variety
of sporting activities are accessible to children with disabilities, and guidelines are
available to assist pediatricians in recommending activities appropriate for children with
specific conditions (Murphy 2008). There is no excuse for children with disabilities to
not participate in some form of physical activity.
This next study focuses on children with ADHD and the benefits of moderateintensity aerobic exercise. During the study ask performance and event-related brain
potentials were assessed while participates performed an attentional-control task
following exercise or seated reading during two sessions. After a single 20-minute
exercise, both children with ADHD and healthy match-control children exhibited greater

BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

response accuracy and stimulus-related processing- with children with ADHD also
exhibiting selective enhancements in regulatory process-compared with after a similar
duration of seated reading (Pontifex 2012). In conclusion, bouts of physical activity help
improve the functionality and control of students with ADHD.
School Context Data
Cesar Chavez Learning Community is in the Roosevelt School
District in Phoenix, Arizona. There are currently 424 students in the
school from kindergarten all the way up to eighth grade. All of the
students (100%) are on free/reduced lunch. The school is also a title 1
school. The schools enrollment has been decreasing since 2006. This
years average teacher to student ration is about 25 students to 1
teacher. I was unable to find the exact amount of ELL students at the
school; however, I know there is a high amount of ELL students.
Synthesis Of Information
Four of the articles talked about how parents and teachers impact physical education in
a special needs classroom and the fifth article talks about the influence pediatricians have
on the issue. Two of the articles talked about how physical activity helps students with
ADHD; another article discusses how physical activity benefits students with autism
spectrum disorder. Overall, the articles supported physical education being
taught/practiced in a special education setting. The majority of the reviews of literature
stated that physical education is important to all students; however, it greatly benefits
students with special needs such as autism and ADHD. With the proper accommodations
and modifications it is possible for any student to do physical activity. With the right

BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

resources special education teachers should have no excuse to not incorporate activity
into their daily planning. This activity can be as simple as dong a mix-pair-share by
having the students walk around the classroom, or have the students to stretching
activities/cross the midline in between subject areas. Teachers, parents, and even
pediatricians have been skeptical about students with special needs completing physical
activity, but research backs up the benefits.
The various resources supported benefits of physical education for students with
autism, physical disabilities, and ADHD. There is no limitation a student can have that
can stop them from doing some sort of physical activity. Special education teachers need
to collaborate on how to implement physical activities in the classroom; there are
resources out there for them. Special education teachers have been trained to modify
curriculum to fit their students needs, so they should be able to come up with ways to
help them be physically active.
Research also backed up that promoting physical activity to students with special needs
not only helps them physically, but it helps them socially as well. It is important to have
some aspect of being part of a team or a group as a child and joining a sports team is
perfect to build social relationships. There are organizations that create sports teams that
support children that have physical disabilities. Overall, physical activities are needed for
all children to be healthier and happier.
Practical Implication
From researching the topic of the benefits of physical activities in special education,
the school should integrate physical activities into the curriculum and extend the recess
time after lunch. By allowing students to do some physical activities during the classes,

BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

this will help students with special needs to increased strength, improved mental
wellbeing, and better overall function (Murphy & Carbone, 2008). Integrating physical
activity into the curriculum will have the lifelong impact on both behaviors and
academics for the children with special needs.
Based on our research, physical activity would be beneficial to all of students,
even the students with special education. The six components will be demonstrated to
reach out to administration are marketing, funding, educational components, scheduling,
student engagement, and committee.
Marketing
The first step is to publicize the importance and benefits of physical activity
through the administration and school. Several different posters (See Appendix A, B, C &
D) will be created for introducing different kinds of physical activities and to demonstrate
the benefits of doing physical activity in the school. The posters will be printed and given
out to the local schools by the administration. The schools can display these posters
around the school, like cafeteria, playgrounds, hallways and so on. Also, a bunch of flyers
will be printed out for the special education teachers to send home with students to let
their parents know the importance of doing physical activities at home. There will be
resources for parents to refer to in order to help their children become more active and
other healthier eating options.
Funding
Second step is to think about the budget of integrating physical activities into the
curriculum. The schools may need to purchase some materials and tools about physical
activities that the teachers can use in their classes, for example: the exercise mat, books

BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

about nutrition and physical activity, balls and so on. Since this spending wont be too
much, each school can appropriate the fund to the special education classrooms and
resource rooms. If the schools dont have enough money they can apply for more budget
from the district or government. Schools can take the time to write grants to receive
funding for this program.
Educational components
For the educational components, the schools can integrate the physical activities into
the math, science, social studies and reading class. Since most of students with special
needs are really hard to be concentrated in the class, making some movements while
learning will be a good way to release extra energy and pay attention. For example,
asking students to count from 1 to 10 while doing squats. Physical activities will increase
students attention span, on-task behavior, and level of correct responding (Entremont L.
D., 2013).
Scheduling
In order to make sure that the teachers understand how to integrate physical activity
into their curriculum, the teachers will have a specific time and place to meet each week
to share their experiences. They will meet as different groups based on their grade levels.
Also, they will need to write a report to record when and how they integrated movements
into their classes before each meeting.
Student Engagement
To engage all students with special needs to do the physical activity during the
classes, the teachers can create some games that the students can race with each other.
Also, teachers can develop a reward system to engage their students. For example, the

BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

students can get a stamp after they finish one physical activity, and they can exchange a
toy when they get 10 stamps. Teachers can give students a questionnaire to see if they
would be interested in physical activity before/after school, or during the weekends and
give them resources accordingly.
Committees
Last but not least, to have effective committees. The committee will help us to
invest not only students, but also parents, teachers and school administrators. The staff
committee will discuss the importance of physical activity and how to integrate it into
each lesson more effectively, and they will meet once a week to collect and record the
data from teachers. They can use Take 10 program as a reference to get some information
about integrating physical activity in the classroom (About TAKE10, 2015). The parent
committee will also meet once a month to share and discuss the physical activities that
they can do with their children at home.
Conclusion
Physical activity has many benefits for children with special needs; therefore, it is
vital for schools to integrate physical activity and health living into the special education
classrooms. The students need to learn what is physical activity, why they should do it
and what kind of benefits the physical activity will bring to them.
The first year will be a learning year that we are going to find an effective way to
teach our students and help them being healthy. In three years, we will make some
improvements and modifications for our curriculum to implement the idea of integration.
In five years, a complete system will be created. The special education teachers will be

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able to integrate physical activities into their lessons appropriately. Our goal is to let more
and more children with special needs get involved in physical activity and live healthier.

References
About TAKE10. (2015). Retrieved April 03, 2016, from
http://take10.net/about-take10/
Bonoan, B. G. (2012, October 5). Exercise Science and Fitness Training.
Retrieved April 12, 2016, from
http://exercisescienceandfitnesstraining.blogspot.com/2012/10/phy
sical-activity-and-physical-fitness_5.html
Entremont, L. D. (2013). Children with Special Needs: Benefits of
Physical Activities and Adaptive Sports. Retrieved April 03, 2016,
from http://kidcompanions.com/children-with-special-needsbenefits-of-physical-activities-and-adaptive-sports/
Johnson, C. C. (2009). The benefits of physical activity for youth with developmental
disabilities: a systematic review. American Journal of Health Promotion, 23(3), 157167. Retrieved from
http://extranet.nuorisuomi.fi/download/attachments/3245041/The+Benefits+of+Physical+Acti
vity+for+Youth+With+developmental+disabilities.pdf

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MacDonald, M. (2011, October 18). BMC Research Notes. Retrieved February 12, 2016,
from http://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1756-0500-4-422
Menear, K. S., & Shapiro, D. R. (2004). Let's Get Moving! Physical Activity and
Students with Physical Disabilities. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related
Services, 23(1), 9-18. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ842011.pdf
Murphy, N. A., & Carbone, P. S. (2008). Promoting the Participation of Children With
Disabilities in Sports, Recreation, and Physical Activities. Pediatrics, 121(5), 10571061. Retrieved from
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/121/5/1057.full.pdf
Pontifex, M. B., Saliba, B. J., Raine, L. B., Picchietti, D. L., & Hillman, C. H. (2013).
Exercise Improves Behavioral, Neurocognitive, and Scholastic Performance in
Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. The Journal of
Pediatrics, 162(3), 543-551. Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3556380/

BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

Appendix A

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Appendix B

STRONG AND HEALTHY CLASSROOM

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Appendix C

Get Fit in the classroom

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Appendix D

GET UP AND LEARN

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