Texas State offers new After-School Adapted Physical Activity Program
Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
September 2, 2011
The Department of Health and Human Performance at Texas State University-San Marcos will be offering the After-School Adapted Physical Activity Program (ASAP!) for children with disabilities this fall.
ASAP! will take place Oct. 11-Dec. 1 on Tuesdays and Fridays from 4:30-6 p.m. in Jowers Center on the Texas State campus. A nominal fee $45 is required for program participation.
ASAP! is an activity-based program designed to facilitate the development of motor skills, enhance health-related physical fitness, promote physical activity and create new learning experiences through fun and exciting play-based activities. The program provides a positive, active and fun experience in a small student-to-staff ratio setting.
Participants aged 6-18, divided by age group, will engage in physical activities such as games and sports. Individualized physical activity programs will be developed for each child based on initial screening, ongoing motor assessment and consultation with parents and teachers. Each child will receive individual attention, support, and encouragement from trained Texas State undergraduate students in the physical education teacher education track. The focus is on developing skills to help the children participate in physical activity at school, on playgrounds and at home.
The main goals of the ASAP! program are:
- To provide safe, fun and health-enhancing physical activity programming for school-aged children with disabilities
- To provide physical education teacher education majors with an experiential learning opportunity to teach school-aged children with disabilities
- To provide parents of school-aged children with disabilities with respite time, support and create new relations with other parents
- To conduct research on teacher preparation and physical activity in children with disabilities
ASAP! was developed by Carlos M. Cervantes, a faculty member in the Department of Health and Human Performance at Texas State. For more information, contact Cervantes at cc85@txstate.edu or (512) 245-9691.