Physical Education Lesson Plans for Autism
If you have an autistic child in your physical education class, then you may be at a loss as to deciding lesson plans that can include him with the other children. While it's true that many autistic children take medications that make them feel drowsy and even gain weight, physical education can be a powerful tool in their development and keeping symptoms at bay. Include each child in modified physical education plans that can help autistic children feel part of the group and stay physically active.-
Evaluation
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Before you can plan your lesson plans that have been adapted for the autistic students in your class, you'll need to take time to evaluate each child's degree of autism, as well as each unique case. Speak to the child's homeroom teacher about what he has experienced with the child. A school therapist might also be able to offer some insight on what activities would be appropriate and which activities should be avoided altogether. Consider some things that might make it hard for your autistic students to interact with a group and best and worst case scenarios that might come about. Armed with this evaluation, you'll be able to create appropriate lesson plans.
Planning and Execution
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Once you have all of the necessary information about your students, you can form a plan for your adapted lesson. Keep in mind which activities are good for students with autism. Because autism is largely a sensory and social disorder, choosing team activities where students need to read others' faces or cues are not good choices. Instead, look for activities that can be done as an individual sport, such as running, swimming or martial arts. These allow each child to work at his own pace without the pressure of other students. Assign an aide worker, if available, to work one on one with the autistic student while in physical education, so that he receives more individualized attention. Take the time to explain to the rest of the class about autism and how it can affect social skills, so that the other students understand and are more tolerant. As a class, you can work together to create and execute a fitting lesson plan.
Benefits
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Although you may be tempted to simple scrap lesson plans including autistic students, and finding another class for them to participate in, think again. Physical education is extremely beneficial to those who suffer from sensory and social disorders. John O'Connor, Associate Professor of Adapted Physical Education at Montana State University--Northern, explains that repetitive movements found in most physical activities, like running, jumping and swimming are soothing and distracting to those with autism. It can actually improve the rest of their day with renewed focus. Include autistic children in your physical lesson to benefit the entire class.
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