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NCPEID Advocacy Episode 1 AdaptED vs AdaptIVE PE

https://justadaptit.com/ncpeid-advocacy-episode-1-adapted-vs-adaptive-physical-education/

Greetings! I’m Melissa Bittner, the NCPEID Policy and Advocacy Chair, and this is part of our weekly series on dispelling myths, strengthening advocacy, and sharing essential information about adapted physical education.

This week, we’re starting with terminology, because the words we use directly impact the services students receive.

Adapted vs. Adaptive—What’s the Difference?

At first glance, adapted and adaptive may seem interchangeable. But in the context of physical education for students with disabilities, the distinction is critical.

Professionals in our field emphasize the term adapted physical education (APE) because it reflects decades of:

Advocacy
Research
Policy development
Commitment to equitable and meaningful PE experiences

The word adapted means the class, instruction, and environment have been intentionally modified to meet a learner’s needs—aligned with the core ideas of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

On the other hand, adaptive can unintentionally imply that the student must change or rely solely on equipment to fit into general PE. It is also associated with “adaptive behavior,” which leads to further confusion and does not accurately describe the specialized instructional services we provide.

Why It Matters

Across states, districts, and even federal language, usage has varied over time. But research, professional standards, and national organizations overwhelmingly use Adapted Physical Education.

Continuing to use “adaptive” in place of “adapted” creates confusion and can even affect the quality and accuracy of services students receive on their IEPs.

Using the correct terminology: