Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

in General Physical Education:

An Academic Critique
by
Rachel Matheson

Presented to:
Dr. Shaunda Wood
EDUC 5993: Exceptional Learners & Differentiated Education
Bachelor of Education
St. Thomas University
19 October 2015

Table of Contents

Critique Introduction

Happy and a bit Nervous: the experiences of children with autism

in physical education. Healy, Msetfi, & Gallagher. (2013).

Including Children with Autism in General Physical Education:

Eight Possible Solutions. Zhan & Griffin. (2007).

Physical Education for Students with Autism: Teaching Tips and Strategies.
Menear & Smith. (2008).

Promoting physical activity for students with autism spectrum disorder:

Barriers, benefits, and strategies for success. Menear & Neumeier. (2015).

12

Validation of the Inventory of Teaching Challenges for Inclusive

Physical Education: Autism Spectrum Disorders. Obrusnikova & Dillon. (2011). 15
Critique Conclusion

17

References

18

Copies of Articles Reviewed

20

Matheson 2

Introduction
This academic critique focuses on the involvement of children with Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD) in general physical education (PE). Five peer-reviewed, academic articles are
reviewed. I chose this topic because I am interested in conducting Masters work in this area.
This topic is important because children with ASD are often over stimulated and in a physical
education setting, over stimulation can be frequent and often overlooked. These children may
also have difficulty being social, therefore physical education may be used as a tool to promote
socialization among students. The following articles discuss the barriers and benefits, teaching
challenges, inclusion strategies, and experiences of children with ASD in general physical
education.

Matheson 3

Happy and a bit Nervous: the experiences of children with autism in physical education
Healy, Msetfi, & Gallegher. (2013).

Introduction
Sean Healy currently holds a Masters in Adapted Physical Education and is working
towards his Doctorate in Adapted Physical Education. Currently, Mr. Healy works as a physical
education teacher at the University of Limerick in Ireland. He is the co-founder of Adapt It
Sport, which is a non-profit organization that aims to reach out to physical education
practitioners to recognize the importance of using adapted physical education equipment for
individuals with impairments. Healys main focus and interest is motor development of children
with autism and adapted physical education equipment.

Summary
This study looked at the experiences of children with autism in physical education. The
authors interviewed twelve students with ASD to generate a conclusion based upon the childrens
perspectives of physical education. Three key themes emerged from these interviews: individual
challenges, peer interactions, and exclusion. Each theme was then broken down into subthemes.
Individual challenges included links to physical ability, sensory challenges, and fear of injury.
Peer interactions branched into social comparison, initiation of friendship, camaraderie, and
bullying. Finally, exclusion, accounted for childrens feelings of being excluded by the teacher
or their inability to participate in the class activities. This final theme was also related to the
students request to be excluded.

Matheson 4

Presentation
This article is structured in a way that is easy to follow and understand. The authors
make note of the importance of their research at the beginning of article by explaining that there
is a need for research that recognizes PE as an individualized experience and transforms the
position of students with disability from passive to active experts on their own lives (Healy,
Msetfi, & Gallagher, 2013). The authors provide clear methods, results, discussion, and
conclusion sections, each with subheadings, which account for clear navigation by the reader.
Prior to conducting the interviews, which were conducted by the primary author, the
interview guide was reviewed for accessibility and to reduce interview bias (Healy et al., 2013).
Three researchers were involved in this study to ensure the data was transcribed and analyzed
accurately. Although the sample size was small for this study, the twelve participants provided
valuable information to create discussions and form conclusions. The authors supported the
three themes that emerged from the interviews by presenting the frequency information as they
described each theme. For example, physical ability was one issue that frequently arose as a
challenge in the interviews (n=10) (Healy et al., 2013). The authors provide clear explanations
of their findings and reasoning supported by previous research. Each theme under the discussion
section is accompanied by valid reasoning for why the authors came to that consensus. The
conclusion of this article offers a general overview of the results, emphasizing the important
components this research. The authors do an excellent job of presenting their research.

Personal Response
According to the authors, this study was the first to account for the experiences of
physical education by students with ASD from the students perspective. I think it is important

Matheson 5

to research this topic from the perspective of the students themselves instead of exclusively
making predictions and drawing conclusions from observations of researchers. These authors
did an exceptional job approaching the topic from this angle. Having worked with children with
mild to severe autism in a physical education setting, I value their perspectives. When these
children are having trouble in class it is easy to make assumptions for why they are acting as they
are or why they might be frustrated. Through this approach though, an educators assumptions
are set aside and the true feelings and experiences of the student are examined. As a future
educator of physical education and hopeful Masters student, I am intrigued by this form of
methodology and plan to refer back to this article when conducting my own research and while
teaching students with ASD.

Matheson 6

Including Children with Autism in General Physical Education: Eight Possible Solutions
Zhang & Griffin. (2007).

Introduction
Jiabei Zhang earned his Doctor of Education from the University of Georgia after
completing his Masters of Education and Masters of Science degrees at the University of
Wisconsin. Zhang is currently a professor of adapted physical education at Western Michigan
University, where he has worked since 1997. Zhang has received eight research honors. Most
recently, he was the recipient of the Scholarly Contribution Award and the Excellence in
Discovery Award, both in 2015. Since his first publication in 1985, Zhang has published fortyseven research articles.

Summary
This article offers eight possible solutions for including children with autism in general
physical education settings. The eight possible solutions discussed are: understanding inclusive
physical education; individualizing instruction; targeting age-appropriate motor skills; using
appropriate teaching strategies, managing challenging behaviours, using unique and novel
equipment, developing social interaction skills, and using effective communication methods.
These eight solutions are considered to be effective when used collaboratively, however, each
child with autism is different and it is possible that not all of these strategies will work for every
child.

Matheson 7

Presentation
The presentation of this article is concise and to the point. The authors waste no time
getting to the main points and focusing on the eight solutions suggested for inclusive physical
education. A brief introduction is included to provide the reader with the necessary background
information to prepare them for what they are about to read. The article then immediately jumps
into the eight solutions suggested for inclusive PE, with each suggestion as their own heading.
This article is exclusively directed towards educators, as the body of the article strictly relates to
the teaching strategies the authors suggest. The authors provide reasoning for their suggestions
by referring to a variety of previous studies. A brief conclusion is included to tie-in the article.

Personal Response

Matheson 8

This article offers effective suggestions for physical education practitioners to provide an
inclusive environment for students with ASD. The information provided is well thought-out and
supported by previous research. The suggestions for inclusive PE presented by the authors are
an excellent source for teachers. Each suggestion is described in detail with examples of using it
in a physical education setting. As someone who has worked with children with ASD in a PE
setting, I see these suggestions as valuable tools for educators. The best part about the
suggestions provided is that they can be combined or used individually depending on the needs
of each individual student. Physical Education for Students with Autism: Teaching Tips and
Strategies
Sayers Menear & Smith. (2008).

Introduction
Kristi Sayers Menear received her Doctorate of Philosophy degree in 1999 from the
University of New Orleans. She did her masters work at the University of New Orleans in 1994
and was certified as an adapted physical educator in 2002. Since 2007, Sayers Menear has been
working as an associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she is also
the Chair of the Department of Human Studies for the School of Education. Since 1996, Sayers
Menear has published 30 peer-reviewed articles, one book, and one dissertation. She has
received 7 major grants for research work and is a member of five professional societies. Sayers
Menears most recent professional award was the PRIDE Recognition Award (Personal
Responsibility in Delivering Excellence), awarded in 2006.

Summary

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The target audience for this article is those who teach physical education. The focus is to
expand an educators strategies for including students with autism in physical education. This
article focuses in on an individual case of a student with autism and their experience in physical
education. The article discusses IEPs relating specifically to phys. ed., the nature of autism, and
tips and strategies for students with ASD. The tips and strategies suggested are: keeping the
class structured and consistent, providing visual boundaries, reducing negative sensory
stimulation, keeping verbal instruction brief, eliminating wait time, minimizing open space, and
selecting a variety of equipment which can be adapted, preparing individual activities,
continuously monitoring students progress, and providing motivation and staying positive.

Presentation
This article is presented using an organized and affective structure. The first section of
the article provides a real life example of a student with ASD in a physical education setting and
highlights the relations between physical education and the special education process. This
section of the articles prepares the reader for the next part of the text where tips and strategies are
provided. The authors offer tables, sidebars, and direct quotations, which direct the attention of
the reader and emphasize key points.
Each strategy is accompanied by a rationale and reference for the authors suggestion.
This validates what the authors are suggesting. The article focuses on one individual case rather
than studying a sample of multiple children with ASD. The arguments made reflect exclusively
the needs of that one individual student. Interpretations and lists of suggestions are clearly
defined in text and tables within the article. The article comes to an end with a formal

Matheson 10

conclusion, which reflects upon the key points of the article and important facts for teachers to
remember.

Personal Response
This article offers suggestions for teaching tips and strategies for physical education for
students with ASD, however only refers its examples to one particular case. The arguments
made are valid for this case but may not account for all students with ASD. The authors should
have considered other situations, rather than limiting themselves to one example. With that
being said, I believe the tips and strategies provided are important considerations and could be
used when teaching these students. The Teaching Tips for Physical Education box on pages
35-36 offers more general suggestions and would be a good tool for teachers to refer to when
teaching students with ASD in a PE setting. This box comprises a subsection with suggested
station themes and activities for inclusion. These would be useful for new teachers who may not
have much experience teaching PE to students with ASD. It could be used as a useful tool for
experienced teachers as well if they have not yet considered the suggested stations and activities.
I think this article does well with providing information about students with ASD and their needs
in the physical education classroom, however, I think the authors could have used a more
generalized approach or offered more specific examples instead of focusing on one particular
case.

Matheson 11

Promoting physical activity for students with autism spectrum disorder: Barriers, benefits,
and strategies for success.
Menear & Neumeier. (2015).

Introduction
Kristi Sayers Menear received her Doctorate of Philosophy degree in 1999 from the
University of New Orleans. She did her masters work at the University of New Orleans in 1994
and was certified as an adapted physical educator in 2002. Since 2007, Sayers Menear has been
working as an associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she is also
the Chair of the Department of Human Studies for the School of Education. William H.
Neumeier works for the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
He received his PhD in Lifespan Developmental Psychology in 2010 from the same university.
His research focuses on cognitive fatigue and the affects of exercise on relationships.

Summary
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder have increased likelihood of becoming obese
or being overweight compared to the general population. The focus of this article is to address
factors that can improve physical activity among students with ASD, outline the benefits they
will receive from physical activity, and summarize strategies for successful physical education.
The barriers to students with ASD to be physically active include: sensory overload, social
anxiety, and physical limitations. The benefits that these students will encounter when being
physically active include both behavioural and biological benefits. The strategies outlined in this

Matheson 12

article for successful physical education are: using social stores to prepare students for activity,
preparing them for the environment, and adapting the curriculum and teaching practices.

Presentation
The structure of this article is reader-friendly. Each heading is clearly distinguished. The
three key components of this article (barriers, benefits, and strategies) explicitly list, with
explanation, the suggestions for each theme. There is research to provide rational for each
suggestion that is included in the article. Multiple studies have been included to provide a
concrete foundation of the authors recommendations. For example, when discussing the
importance of preparing the environment for an individual with ASD in PE, the authors expand
on their suggestion by referring to Groft-Jones & Block (2006) in saying that this often involves
focusing on communication and preventing challenging behaviours (Menear & Neumeier, 2015).
This also relates to the accuracy of the authors, in that for essentially every suggestion, there is
another study to support them. The background information provided and concluding statements
provide the reader with distinct information and ideas pertaining to successful physical education
for students with autism.

Personal Response
Although this may not be a lengthy article, I believe it has many valuable points to
consider. As an individual who advocates for young people to move often and stay active, I
appreciate the emphasis on promoting physical activity, especially for those with ASD, since we
know that they are prone to higher rates of obesity and being overweight (Menear & Neumeier,
2015). A list of the barriers, benefits, and strategies for a successful PE environment for students

Matheson 13

with ASD that includes basic descriptions and rational for each subcategory is a significant tool
for new teachers, especially those like my self who wish to teach PE and create an inclusion
environment for all. I think the suggestions made by the authors in this article are easily
transferable into the classroom for new or experiences teachers. If in the future I have the
opportunity to work on a Master in this subject area, I would like to expand upon the information
provided in this article and focus on generating an article similar to this one specifically targeted
towards new teachers.

Matheson 14

Validation of the Inventory of Teaching Challenges for Inclusive Physical Education:

Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Obrusnikova & Dillon. (2011).
Introduction
Obrusnikova is an associate professor at the University of Delaware in the department of
Behavioural Health and Nutrition. In 2004, Obrusnikova received her Ph.D. from Palacky
University in Czech Republic. Dr. Obrusnikova holds a Masters degree in both science and
education. Her research interests include adapted physical education, and inclusion in physical
activity settings; more specifically, physical activity and social behavior of children and
adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Dr. Obrusnikova was an editorial board member
(2011-2014) and abstractor (2009-2013) for the Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly and
received the Christina Board of Education Citizenship Award in 2012. She worked with Dillon
in 2011 to study teaching challenges for inclusive physical education.

Summary
This quantitative study looked at the validity, internal consistency, and factor structure of
the Inventory of Teaching Challenges for Inclusive Physical Education (ITC-IPE) regarding
children with ASD. Four factors were determined to explain 60% of the variance among both
scales: task-related challenges, social behaviour challenges, environmental challenges, and
challenges related to narrow interest and flexibility. There were three stages to this study:
content validation study, pilot study, and validation study. The purpose of this study was to
develop and provide evidence of the content validity, reliability, and factor structure used elicited
teaching challenges according to the ITC-IPE.

Matheson 15

Presentation
The content organization of this article is presented well. Being such a large scale study,
with three contributing studies to the final publication, the information was presented well and
was reader-friendly. The authors used the data directly from their study to draw conclusions and
form opinions. The research and data used to form and arrive at their hypothesis is clearly
identified in the article. They have included a quantitative analysis and provided the standard
deviations for their results, which accounts for any miscues in the data or data analysis.
Each study within this study is clearly outlines in this article with all necessary
components included for each. For example, the pilot study includes subsections for the purpose
of that study, the participants, measures, procedure, data analysis, and results. These subsections
were provided for all three studies. At the end of the article, the authors made sure to account for
the similarities and differences between the three studies and formulated one major results and
discussion component. This is a key component to a study this large as it ties all of the smaller
studies together.

Personal Response
This article was quantitative and provided solid information regarding the ITC-IPE
structure. Although there is information regarding PE for students with ASD, this article would
not likely be an asset to a new teacher who may be preparing for teaching these students. This
article breaks down the ITC-IPE and quantitatively observes teaching challenges, but for
someone who does not have a math or science background, this would be difficult to
comprehend and would not likely contribute to a new teachers PE repertoire for inclusion.

Matheson 16

Conclusion
This academic critique reviewed professional publications regarding individuals with
Autism Spectrum Disorders in physical education. Similar suggestions for incorporating
students with ASD into physical education are reoccurring throughout the articles reviewed.
Common strategies were limiting sensory overload, minimizing visual boundaries, using
adaptive equipment or adapting the activity, making effective use of space and time, and being
consistent with routines. All five of these articles provide a wealth of information for new
teachers who are entering the PE class and provide helpful resources for including individuals
with ASD.

Matheson 17

References
Academic:
Healy, S., Msetfi, R., & Gallagher, S. (2013). 'Happy and a bit Nervous': the experiences of
children with autism in physical education. British Journal Of Learning Disabilities,
41(3), 222-228 7p. doi:10.1111/bld.12053
Menear, K. S., & Neumeier, W. H. (2015). Promoting physical activity for students with autism
spectrum disorder: Barriers, benefits, and strategies for success. Journal of Physical
Education, Recreation & Dance, 86(3), 43-48. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.hil.unb.ca/docview/1674472622?accountid=14611
Menear, K. S., & Smith, S. (2008). Physical Education for Students With Autism. Teaching
Exceptional Children, 40(5), 32-37.
Obrusnikova, I., & Dillon, S. (2011). Validation of the Inventory of Teaching Challenges for
Inclusive Physical Education: Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal Of Developmental &
Physical Disabilities, 23(6), 563-579. doi:10.1007/s10882-011-9249-x
Zhang, J., & Griffin, A. J. (2007). Including children with autism in general physical
education: Eight possible solutions. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance,
78(3), 33-37,50. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.hil.unb.ca/docview/
215762687?accountid=14611

Author Information:

Matheson 18

Jiabei Zhangs Professional Vitae.

http://homepages.wmich.edu/~zhangj/wordsfiles/
Vitae%20Zhang.pdf
Sportanddev.org. (2013). About Sean Healy.
http://www.sportanddev.org/en/connect/
userprofile.cfm?user=6101
University of Alabama at Birmingham. Kristi Sayers Menear. (2015).
https://www.uab.edu
/
education/humanstudies/images/FacultyStaff/CV/VITAE_Menear_Feb_12
_2015_for_KIN_website.pdf
Western Michigan University. (2015).
https://www.wmich.edu/humanperformance
/directory/zhang

Matheson 19

Please find the articles used for this academic critique attached on the next
page.

Matheson 20