Sports, Fitness, and Motor Activities for Children with Disabilities

Book excerpt: This book is intended to provide guidance to parents, guardians, educators, and community recreation professionals regarding the importance of increased physical activity beyond the school day for children with disabilities. The book starts off by discussing early childhood development specific to children with disabilities and places emphasis on parents’ roles as their advocate in school and community sports, recreational, and leisure programs. The book highlights the legal rights of a parent, their child’s rights, and the equal rights that a child with a disability has when participating in interscholastic athletics and sports. Emphasis is placed on public laws that mandate educational opportunities for children with disabilities along with recent legislative updates regarding extracurricular school based activity. Finally, readers will learn how a child with a disability can be educated utilizing a variety of instructional strategies that can be helpful in the classroom and community setting. This book offers practical information on suggested activities, adaptations, and general considerations when teaching a child with a disability. The book’s appendices offers a wide variety of resources ranging from sports organizations and resources from around the country along with modifications and adaptations of a variety of sports a child with a disability can participate in.