PHYSICAL EDUCATION Pairing peers on the field and in the gym Integrated class at BHS teaches skills and leads to friendships

There was lots of chattering, plus smiles, fist-bumping, high-fives and even some skipping as Mary Ware’s physical education class at Barnstable High School bounded outside into the morning sun Wednesday for the first time this spring.

Ware’s “integrated PE” class is designed as an inclusive learning environment for students with and without disabilities.

“We’re going to play an invasion game, with two teams, kind of like ‘capture the treasure,’” Ware told the group. The goal of the game is to get all of the sports equipment on the field – balls, hoops, Frisbees and such – to the opposite side of the field without getting tagged out.

Peer coaches pair one-on-ones with a student with a disability. They practice motor, sports-based and fitness skills, and develop social skills by interacting with others. The program is modified specifically to their needs in a safe, respectful environment.

“Man, you’re quick, Andy!” Ware yells encouragingly. “Like a ninja!”

“Nice throw, Mike!”

“Go, Anthony!”

“You’re going to have to do a little more running, OK, David?”

“The class is set up for their success, so they enjoy class even more,” Ware said, between cheers. “We use modified equipment to help them to succeed.”

For instance, a soft, padded, oversize Frisbee-like disk squeaks when the students pass and catch it.

“Being active is so good for their physical, mental and developmental health,” Ware said.

In recognition of Autism Awareness Month, Ware earlier the month made a special presentation to the Barnstable Town Council about her work in Adapted Physical Education.

Autism affects 1 in 68 live births, Ware told the councilors. It’s a complex developmental disability characterized by challenges with communication and social interaction. A “spectrum condition,” it affects individuals in different ways.

“Students with disabilities have 4.5-times lower physical activity levels than their peers without disabilities, setting the stage for a life of inactivity and health concerns,” Ware said. Many students with autism also have poor motor skills, many at levels half their age, as well as sensory sensitivities.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that physical education be made available to students with disabilities. If unable to access the curriculum due to disability, the students may require Adapted PE programs, allowing them to develop motor development, social skills, self-confidence and the skills necessary for quality daily living, she said.

In turn, peer coaches develop teaching skills by interacting one-on-one with a student with a disability. They research and design a brochure about a specific disability, and they learn how to think critically. Each term, they get to lead one session of the class.

Seven out of Ware’s 15 student coaches last school year went on to become teaching assistants in special education classes or indicated they wanted to pursue a related field in college.

“Barnstable has a great special ed program; it’s a very supportive community,” Ware said. “There are inclusion classes in every school district, but the opportunity to have a class that’s designed around integrating special ed students and peer coaches is pretty unique.”

After eight years of teaching, three of them at BHS, she added, “This field has my heart.”