Lecture 4 Chapter 4 Designing Lifespan Programs: Lecture Notes

Designing Lifespan Programs: Lecture 4 Notes

Chapter Objectives

  • Application of Terms:

    • Apply the term developmental delay to the work of physical activity engagement with infants and toddlers.

    • Examine the ecological theory of Bronfenbrenner and its usefulness in adapted physical activity assessment and instruction.

    • Describe the term developmentally appropriate and its application in teaching adapted physical activity in the educational setting.

    • Explain the opportunities for health care providers to foster physical activity engagement in the lives of young adults with disabilities.

    • Distinguish between the terms aging with disabilities and aging into disabilities for adults with disabilities.

    • Explain how interdisciplinary collaboration is necessary for engagement in community physical activity programs for people with disabilities.

Adapted Physical Activity

  • Age Stages:

    • Infants and toddlers

    • Preschoolers

    • Kindergarteners

    • Elementary school children

    • Middle school to high school students

    • Adults to oldest of old

  • Principles Across Stages:

    • Many similar principles apply to programming across these stages, yet each stage of life presents unique considerations and challenges.

The Whole Person and Professionals

  • Life Course Perspective:

    • Emphasize addressing the whole person (USDHHS, 2005), not just their disability (Krahn et al., 2015).

  • Interdisciplinary Support:

    • Various professional roles must support engagement in adapted physical activity (Agiovlasitis et al., 2018).

  • Healthy People 2030 Goals:

    • The goals emphasize collaboration from individuals, families, and multiple societal sectors to promote physical activity (p. 95).

  • Interpretation:

    • A whole-person, whole-life, interdisciplinary approach is essential for promoting physical activity and adapted physical activity (APA).

Physical Activity Is Critical to a Healthy Life

  • Developmental Monitoring:

    • Infants who engage in movement are considered to be developing well.

  • Cognitive and Behavioral Benefits:

    • Participation in physical activity significantly boosts cognitive development in children, adolescents, and older adults (Erickson et al., 2019).

    • Improvements noted in classroom behavior and academic skills, particularly in reading and mathematics (Álvarez-Bueno et al., 2017; Singh et al., 2019).

  • Adult Health Impacts:

    • Physically active adults report lower mental health burdens (WHO, 2019) and experience relief from depression and loneliness (Kim et al., 2017; Yen et al., 2018), as well as improved fitness levels (Vader et al., 2021).

  • Overall Importance of PA:

    • Physical activity is vital throughout the life course, interconnected with psychomotor, affective, and cognitive domains (as contextualized in Bloom's Taxonomy).

Physical Activity Goal: Enjoyment

  • Indicators of Enjoyment in Young Children:

    • Observations of enjoyment can be seen through infants and toddlers cooing, smiling, playing with toys, or indicating interest in sharing toys with caregivers.

  • Encouragement:

    • Parents and professionals showing interest in a child's physical activity fosters greater engagement in physical activity.

    • It is important to provide positive feedback to children for their engagement in physical activity and acknowledge family support.

  • Age-Appropriate Activities:

    • See Table 4.1 for a progression of activities from infants to age 22.

Physical Activity Goal: Enjoyment (continued)

  • Importance in Physical Education:

    • Fostering enjoyment as a goal in physical education for students with disabilities is essential (Jin et al., 2018).

  • Opportunity for Participation:

    • Young people should be given opportunities to participate in enjoyable physical activities that are age-appropriate and varied (USDHHS, 2018, p. 48).

  • Special Olympics Insight:

    • A participating athlete noted that the highlights of their experience with Special Olympics included the enjoyment of exercising (McCarty et al., 2022).

Modification and Adaptation

  • Distinction:

    • Modification involves changing the curriculum or program, while adaptation entails altering the activities within that curriculum or program (Winnick, 2017).

    • For adults: Modify the overall program; adapt the activities to fit within that program.

Strategies to Increase Participation

  • Modification Areas:

    • Strategies can include modifications in:

    • Equipment-related

    • Instruction-related

    • Rules-related

    • Environment-related

    • Context-related

    • Task-related

    • Person-related

  • Literature Variance:

    • Literature may suggest different areas for modification, all of which can be impactful (as noted in Laboratory 1).

Early Intervention: Infants and Toddlers

  • Understanding Developmental Delay:

    • Developmental delay refers to when an infant or toddler does not meet expected developmental milestones.

  • Legal Requirement for Early Intervention:

    • Under IDEA 2004, early intervention services must be provided to infants and toddlers delayed in one or more developmental areas; similar laws exist in Canada.

  • Preventative Measures:

    • Early intervention can avert the accumulation of developmental problems and may improve the situation significantly.

  • Assessment Environments:

    • Developmental assessments should occur in the child’s home to ensure comfort and familiarity rather than an unfamiliar clinical environment.

Intervention: A Life Course Perspective

  • Holistic Intervention Viewpoint:

    • Adopting a life course perspective emphasizes that intervention must consider all aspects of the child's life to encourage positive development. Factors include maternal support, home environment, mother's health, toy access, safe play areas, genetic considerations, access to medical care, food security, and housing stability.

  • Piaget's Perspective on Play:

    • Piaget stated: "Play is the work of the child." This emphasizes the intrinsic value of play in physical activity.

  • Skill Development Reference:

    • Refer to Table 4.1 for identified skills related to physical activity.

Young Adults With Disabilities

  • Transitional IEP:

    • A transitional individualized education program (IEP) is required to equip students for life after graduation.

    • Assess interests, family contributions, physical capabilities, and mobility needs by age 16 in either general physical education (GPE) or adapted physical education (APE) programs.

  • Life Options Post-Graduation:

    • Upon graduation, options may include college, university, employment, different living arrangements with support, or continued residence with family.

  • Engaging Activities:

    • Young adults should engage in leisure activities appropriate for their developmental stage.

Adults and Disabilities: New Paradigm

  • Research Evolution:

    • Current research indicates adults with disabilities cannot be homogenized into a single category; experiences are unique.

    • The Harvard Center for the Developing Child emphasizes a deeper investigation into intervention outcomes rather than generalizing results.

  • Personalized Approaches:

    • Each adult living with a disability possesses unique needs and desires; hence a one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective.

Adults Aging With Disabilities, Adults Aging Into Disabilities

  • New Understanding of Aging:

    • Notable distinctions exist between adults who have lived with disability since childhood (aging with disability) and those who acquire a disability in midlife (aging into disability).

    • Categories defined:

    • Aging with disability: Onset at birth or shortly after.

    • Aging into disability: Onset around middle age (Molton & Yorkston, 2017; Molton & Ordway, 2019).

Application of Aging With and Into Disability and Adapted Physical Activity

  • Focused Application in the Textbook:

    • The textbook discusses implementing these contemporary perspectives, governed by research, concerning disability and adapted physical activity participation (chapters 14-16).

  • Age Group Classifications:

    • Age designations are as follows:

    • Young adult: 18-40

    • Middle age: 40-55

    • Older adult: 55-70

    • Oldest adult: 70-85

    • Oldest of old adult: >85

  • Consideration on High School Graduation:

    • Those aging with disability typically have over 12 years of adapted physical activity experience, while those aging into disability may lack this experience.

Summary

  • Importance of Understanding Developmental Stages:

    • Grasping developmental stages and what activities are deemed developmentally appropriate and their necessary adaptations is vital.

  • Consultative Adaptation Determination:

    • Determining appropriate activities and adaptations may involve consultation from an interdisciplinary team or a singular practitioner’s evaluation.

  • Individual Factors Impact Outcomes:

    • Individual personal factors significantly influence practitioner decisions and subsequent long-term outcomes.