PE: physical impairment at P level 5

A severely, physically impaired child will have difficulties with all the P level 5 criteria.

You can:

• Help the child explore a variety of movements and show some awareness of space by starting off in a passive way with an adult facilitating - helping the pupil explore big and small movements
• Use of fabrics
• Use of swimming pool
• Use of trampoline
• Use of soundbeam
• Start turn taking work from Intensive Interaction and develop from there. Teachers need to ensure that they observe the pupil carefully in order to recognise and value of even the smallest intentional movement. This process may start with turn-taking using sound, so the pupil makes a noise which is copied by the staff member.
• Work on two actions that the pupil can do then help them make these into a sequence – perhaps to music.
• Make instructions very simple and clear, communicating in whatever way the pupil can best understand whether verbally and supported by Makaton or by visual cues such as the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) or photos. Work with the pupil’s most effective way of communicating, as set out in their pupil passport or communication sheet. A pupil passport is an effective form of communication in the form of a booklet about a pupil who has communication difficulties. It contains information about how a pupil communicates, their health needs, their likes and dislikes, their family and so on. It is often told in the first person, so as to give the pupil a ‘voice’.
• Give time for the pupil to process your words and respond.
• Encourage turn-taking through a musical activity (leave gaps in the music for the pupil to contribute) or a session where pupils take turns to say ‘hello’ to the rest of the group.

Now you might like to look at

• PE and physical impairment at P level 4
• PE and physical impairment at P level 6