Empowering Physical Educators to Create Inclusive Environments for Autistic Children Through P.E.rfect Training
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| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
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| Description | In Czechia, autistic children are being supported in the inclusive physical education (PE) classroom at increasing rates. However, educators are increasingly underprepared to provide meaningful instruction grounded in the science of applied behavior analysis (ABA). As a result, the ABA-based P.E.rfect Inclusive Physical Education Practitioner Training Package, developed through an EU Erasmus+ collaborative project across seven European countries, was piloted aiming to enhance physical educators' ABA competencies and attitudes in including autistic children in PE settings. Eleven participants completed the program, which consisted of an in-person workshop supplemented by a freely-accessible website containing culturally and linguistically adapted ABA-based inclusive PE materials. Using a pre-post no-control design, the study assessed changes in participants' knowledge, self-efficacy, and perceived challenges through quantitative measures administered before and after the main training session. Training satisfaction was evaluated post-intervention through questionnaires, while selected follow-up interviews provided qualitative insights into participants' attitudes and experiences. Data analysis incorporated descriptive statistics for pre-post comparisons, alongside thematic coding of interview responses to identify and quantify primary attitudes expressed by participants. Overall, this pilot study shares strategies for disseminating ABA-based training in underserved regions while evaluating physical educators' capacity to create inclusive PE environments for autistic students. |
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