Unique Initiatives in Adapted Physical Education with Students Diagnosed with Intellectual Disabilities

The of Galim School philosophy is based on the belief that individuals with disabilities have the right to receive the maximum benefit from physical education. The adapted physical education program is dedicated to providing positive movement experiences and opportunities for individuals with disabilities to acquire and enhance motor, cognitive, and affective behaviors. Over the years, unique initiatives have been developed and applied in the Galim adapted physical education program to enable equal access to a healthy lifestyle and active leisure pursuits for the school students.

In the workshop, the following initiatives will be displayed by implying a sample of the activities with the audience and by showing a movie of the program:

Adapted speed stacking: Speed stacking, is an individual, couples and team sport that involves stacking nine or 12 specially designed cups in pre-determined sequences as fast as you can. The cups are specially designed to allow for faster times. Participants of sport stacking stack cups in specific sequences, by aligning the inside left lateral adjunct of each cup with that of the next. Sequences are usually pyramids of three, six, or 10 cups. Players compete against the clock or another player. Other than having pleasure and a unique leisure activity with peers from special and regular schools, by speed stacking the students learn cooperation, develop reaction and movement time, ambidexterity, arm fitness, eye-hand coordination and enhance their attention.

Adapted Mayumana: Mayumana is an Israeli dance troupe that combines dance, song and percussion. The Mayumana show is performed by using instruments, voices and bodies to create a visual smorgasbord of dance, movement and theater. The rhythmic dance is performed by the dancers also with drumming on boxes, buckets and floors with their hands and feet. In the adapted dance we also use fit balls with drumsticks, drumming on cans and so on. By applying Mayumana the students improve memory, coordination, rhythm, hand-eye coordination, imagination and drumming techniques.

Adapted Dance Corps: We find in every child the potential and capabilities which are inherent in him/her. Students have the opportunity to not only enjoy the assembly, but to learn valuable lessons about cultural competence. The more the students are aware of the following themes, the more they will be able to enjoy—and learn from—the dance performance: cooperation; communication; personal expression/creativity; interdependence. We adapt the dancing by using different accessories and by dancing different styles. By dancing, the students improve coordination, imitation, short-and long-term memory, creativity, self-confidence and body awareness and their movement ability. In classes we prepare dance performances and display them in school and in the community.