Adapted Physical Education & Behavior Professional Development Certificate
Every student moves. Every student is safe. Every step is measured.
You have students with IEPs in your gym. Nobody showed you how to plan for them.
This 68-hour professional development certificate teaches you to adapt any PE lesson, prompt and reinforce motor skills the way behavior analysts do, keep every student safe with dignity, and show progress with real data, for all 14 US disability categories.
At a glance
What’s included
68
hours: 52 online + 16 practicum
11
modules, from IDEA to the podium
14
US disability categories covered
4
tools per module you use the next day
The problem
Most PE teachers were never trained for the students who need them most.
A student runs off the field. Another melts down when he loses a game. A third can’t follow the warm-up. Too often the answer is to sit them out, or to help so much that they never learn to do it alone.
01
Sitting out
Students with disabilities spend PE on the bench or with a para, away from the class.
02
Too much help
Hand-over-hand for everything; the student never becomes independent.
03
Behavior crises
Losing, waiting and noise trigger problems nobody planned for.
04
No data
Goals in the IEP, but no way to show the student is actually improving.
The BxM difference
Behavior science, safety with dignity and real sport methodology, in one course.
Universities teach the theory for credit. Study guides teach the test. We teach what works on the gym floor tomorrow morning.
1
Behavior science in every lesson
Task analysis, prompting and fading, reinforcement and data, applied to motor skills.
2
Safety with dignity
Read assent, prevent escalation, and know when to physically guide a student and when not to.
3
Sport-training method
Dosage, progressions and season planning, from the PE class to Special Olympics and Paralympic sport.
4
Ready to use
Every disability module gives you a prompting guide, a sample lesson plan, a data sheet and a practice task.
5
Progress you can see
Data sheets and graphs you can show the IEP team and your district.
The curriculum
11 modules + an applied practicum
Four core modules any adapted PE professional needs, six disability modules covering all 14 US categories, and a module on adapted sport.
Adapted PE in US Schools · 4 h
IDEA, FAPE and the least restrictive environment, the placement continuum, inclusion, and your role on the IEP team.
Assessment, Eligibility and the IEP · 5 h
The 14 US disability categories, TGMD-3, BOT-2, PDMS-3 and Brockport, present levels and measurable PE goals.
Behavior Science in the Gym · 6 h
Task analysis of motor skills, the prompting hierarchy and fading, reinforcement, visual schedules and simple data sheets.
Curriculum, Lesson Design and Adaptations · 4 h
Accommodations vs. modifications, UDL, adapting equipment, rules, space and groups, safety, and the BxM Adapted Lesson Plan.
Intellectual Disability and Developmental Delay · 5 h
Down syndrome and other ID, atlantoaxial and cardiac precautions, play-based motor learning for ages 3–9.
Autism Spectrum · 5 h
Sensory needs, predictability, visual supports, social games, transitions and elopement in open spaces.
Learning, Attention and Emotional Disabilities · 5 h
SLD and coordination problems, ADHD, emotional disturbance: de-escalation, competition and losing, behavior plans.
Visual, Hearing and Deaf-Blindness · 5 h
Guiding and tactile modeling, goalball, sign and visual signals, hand-under-hand and touch cues.
Speech and Language · 3 h
AAC and core boards in PE, simple instructions, peer models, checking understanding.
Physical, Health and Multiple Disabilities · 6 h
Cerebral palsy and spina bifida, brain injury, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, heart conditions, multiple disabilities.
Adapted Sport Pathways · 4 h
Special Olympics, Paralympic sport, Deaflympics, classification, planning a season and starting a Unified team.
Applied Practicum · 16 h
Two filmed lessons, session data with a progress graph, and a full APE plan with IEP goals.
In every disability module
Four things you use the next day
Prompting guide
Which prompts work for this student, where to start, and the rule for fading to independence.
Sample adapted lesson plan
A complete 30–45 minute lesson on the 9-part BxM template.
Data sheet
Trials, prompt level and % independent, matched to the skill.
Practice task
Adapt one of your own lessons and get feedback from a BxM reviewer.
Module 11
From the IEP to the podium
Learn the map of adapted sport: Special Olympics, Paralympic sport, Deaflympics and community clubs. Understand eligibility and classification, the school’s duty to offer sport, and how to plan a full training season with behavior science, using two sample season plans.
You will build
A 6-week season plan for one of your students
A competition-readiness routine
A plan to start a Unified team at your school
Who it is for
Built for the people in the gym
General PE teachers
with students with IEPs in their classes.
Adapted PE teachers
who want a practical refresher and a path toward CAPE.
Special education teams
teachers, paras, RBTs and BCBAs who work in schools.
Coaches
in Special Olympics, Unified Sports and adapted sport.
Preparing for the APENS exam? See BxM APENS Exam Prep, built on this course.
Questions
Good to know
Do I earn a professional certificate?
Yes. You earn the BxM Adapted Physical Education & Behavior Professional Development Certificate, with 68 hours, to show your school or district. It is a professional certificate from BxM Education, not a state license or the CAPE credential, and it prepares you for both paths.
Do I need experience with special education?
No. The course starts from the basics of US special education law and builds up to planning for each disability.
How long does it take?
It is self-paced. Most teachers can finish the online lessons in 8–12 weeks and complete the practicum with their own students.
How do I enroll?
Reserve your spot below. We will email you the enrollment details and founding-member pricing.
Enrollment
Enroll or reserve your spot
Leave your details and we will send you the enrollment information and founding-member pricing.
Founding-member price
$397 Founding price · $497 after launch
One-time payment. Nothing is charged today: reserve now and pay when enrollment opens.
Add APENS Exam Prep for $52 more: $449 for both.