Adapted Physical Education Specialists

Overview

Adapted Physical Education Specialists has a national median salary of $76,580 per year, with +1.9% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

Provide individualized physical education instruction or services to children, youth, or adults with exceptional physical needs due to gross motor developmental delays or other impairments.

Work Values

• Relationships
• Achievement
• Independence

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Provide adapted physical education services to students with intellectual disabilities, autism, traumatic brain injury, orthopedic impairments, or other disabling condition.
• Provide students positive feedback to encourage them and help them develop an appreciation for physical education.
• Provide individual or small groups of students with adapted physical education instruction that meets desired physical needs or goals.
• Instruct students, using adapted physical education techniques, to improve physical fitness, gross motor skills, perceptual motor skills, or sports and game achievement.
• Write reports to summarize student performance, social growth, or physical development.

Work Activities

• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Thinking Creatively
• Developing Objectives and Strategies
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Getting Information
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Training and Teaching Others

Detailed Work Activities

• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
• Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished a master's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Master's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a bachelor's degree.

Video Resources