Empowering children with special educational needs to speak up: experiences of inclusive physical education

Coates, Janine; Vickerman, Philip

doi:10.3109/09638288.2010.497037

Cited by 44 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(55 reference statements)

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“…The write and draw technique would also gain rich data representing the 'child's voice'. Coates and Vickerman (2010) emphasize the importance of representation of the voice of children with SEN which would allow a deeper insight of children with SEN experiences in Physical Education for schools, teachers and policy makers.…”

Section: Limitations and Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring opportunities available and perceived barriers to physical activity engagement in children and young people with Down syndrome

Downs

Boddy

Knowles

et al. 2013

European Journal of Special Needs Education

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Primary objective: The aim of this study was to explore physical activity amongst children and young people with Down syndrome. Method and procedures:The Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model (YPAP) (Welk 1999) was used to inform semi-structured interviews to explore physical activity of children and young people with Down syndrome.Participants were 3 males and 5 females, aged between 6 and 21 years (16.38 + 5.04 years (mean + SD)) who had been diagnosed with the condition Down syndrome. Dyadic interviews were conducted with the participant and their parent(s). The interviews were recorded, transcribed and inductive and deductive analyses of the data were completed. Main outcomes and results:The results were structure around the YPAP Model's (Welk 1999) key themes included; enabling factors (seasonal variation, transport, type of activity, independence); predisposing factors (enjoyment, social interaction, dislikes of PA, following instructions, understanding of PA); reinforcing factors (support and opportunities, parents, and care providers); and barriers to PA engagement (ear problems). Conclusion:The children and young people with Down syndrome in the study typically only engaged in fun, unstructured activities. Key facilitators for physical activity participation were social interactions and parental support. Increasing the level of independence for people with Down syndrome within adolescence may have beneficial effects for physical activity participation in later life. 2 IntroductionDown syndrome is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability (ID) (Mahy et al. 2010). The Down Syndrome Association (2012) recorded that approximately 750 children are born with Down syndrome (DS) each year in the UK. DS is associated with various chronic health problems, including Alzheimer disease, obesity, congenital heart defects, low cardiovascular fitness, sight and hearing problems (NHS 2010), decreased muscle strength, muscle hypotonicity and joint hypermobility, (Croce et al. 1996). People with DS tend to be shorter in height and heavier in weight than people without DS. Many people with DS are susceptible to conditions that could increase the risk of weight gain such as an under active thyroid gland and having a lower basal metabolic rate compared to that of the general population (Down Syndrome Association 2002).This propensity for gaining weight in combination with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in children with Down syndrome highlights the need for effective interventions to promote healthy body mass and physical fitness for this population. Physical activity (PA) is an important health behaviour and positively contributes to the management and prevention of more than 20 chronic diseases and conditions (Department of health 2005; Chief Medical Officer 2011). PA promotes energy expenditure in children and is often targeted when attempting to prevent or treat obesity. Furthermore, cardiorespiratory fitness, an independent determinant of health and in particular cardio-metabolic ...

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Section: Limitations and Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring opportunities available and perceived barriers to physical activity engagement in children and young people with Down syndrome

Downs

Boddy

Knowles

et al. 2013

European Journal of Special Needs Education

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“…The views and reflections of disabled students have also been studied (Coates & Vickerman, 2010;Fitzgerald, 2005Fitzgerald, , 2008Fitzgerald, , 2012. Such studies use an approach in which disabled people are considered expert 'knowers' (Barnes & Mercer, 1997;Smith, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-disabled secondary school children's lived experiences of a wheelchair basketball programme delivered in the East of England

Evans

Bright

Brown

2013

Sport, Education and Society

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Frequently an unquestioned belief is held in UK schools in the value of 'normalised' ability in physical education. Consequently inclusion of disabled students can be problematical. Negative perceptions of disability are rarely challenged. This study investigated the embodied experiences of 49 non-disabled secondary school pupils during a programme designed to introduce disability sport to non-disabled school children entitled 'The Wheelchair Sports Project.' Funded by a County Sports Partnership, Wheelchair Basketball sessions were delivered by trained coaches during physical education for a 12 week period. 49 pupils aged between 10 and 12 years took part in the study. Non-participant observations were completed during the programme and semistructured group interviews were completed with 24 participants pre and post project. Bourdieu's theoretical framework guided data analysis. The impact of the project on pupils' perceptions of physical disability was investigated. Prior to the project, pupils emphasized the 'otherness' of disabled bodies and described disability sport as inferior and not 'real.' Observations highlighted how pupils' experienced physical challenges adapting to wheelchair basketball. Pupils struggled to control wheelchairs and frequently diverged from acceptable behaviour by using their lower limbs to 'cheat.' Post-programme group interviews demonstrated that, due to their own embodied experiences, pupils' began to question their perceptions of the potential ability of participants with physical impairments. Pupils described high physical demands of wheelchair basketball and began to focus upon similarities between themselves and physically disabled individuals. However, participants made no reference to impairments other than physical disability, emphasizing the specificity of the effects of pupils' embodied experiences on their embodied habitus' which, although difficult to assess over the long-term, appeared to have an impact on perceptions over the short-term.3

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“…This might be in some way related to the argument put forward by Smith and Green(2004) that PE teachers are often unwilling to give up the 'sporting tradition' and therefore favour activities which require extensive skills and competencies, such as competitive games activities. Perhaps for children with SEN who are likely to find games activities -which tend to be more prevalent in PE (Smith, 2004;Coates and Vickerman, 2010) -more difficult, PE teachers are shying away from teaching the competency based aspects of such activities in favour of highlighting the fitness aspects which most children will grasp.…”

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confidence: 99%

Physically fit or physically literate? How children with special educational needs understand physical education

Coates

2011

European Physical Education Review

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Additional Information:• This paper was accepted for publication in the journal European Physi- p o s t -r e v i e w AbstractThe role of physical literacy within physical education (PE) has become a widely debated topic in recent years. Its role in educating children about physicality through embodiment, skill acquisition and reading the environment is argued to be of great benefit to children. However, whether children understand the role of PE in the development of these competencies is not clear, and this is even truer for children who have special educational needs (SEN). Drawing on qualitative phenomenological data from 30 children in key stages 2 and three (7 to 14 years of age) who have SEN, this paper explores notions of physical fitness and physical literacy as understood by children in PE lessons. It aims to gain insight into the ways that children understand the purpose of PE, and places these perceptions within a physical literacy framework, using the National Curriculum for PE (NCPE) as a foundation. Findings demonstrate that children with SEN perceive PE as a means for improving physical fitness, whereas concepts surrounding physical literacy appear to be lost. The paper concludes by making recommendations for factoring physical literacy components more forcibly into the PE curriculum, and through initial teacher training and continued professional development.

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Empowering children with special educational needs to speak up: experiences of inclusive physical education

Abstract: As such it is evident that schools and those supporting inclusive physical activity for children with SEN must use consultation as a tool for empowering pupils as a means of providing them with choices while gaining a rich insight into their lived experiences of PE.

Cited by 44 publications

References 27 publications

Exploring opportunities available and perceived barriers to physical activity engagement in children and young people with Down syndrome

Exploring opportunities available and perceived barriers to physical activity engagement in children and young people with Down syndrome

Non-disabled secondary school children's lived experiences of a wheelchair basketball programme delivered in the East of England

Physically fit or physically literate? How children with special educational needs understand physical education

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