Drug Abuse Among People with Disabilities

Not infrequently, people with disabilities receive some form of medication prescribed by their physician with the intent being to assuage pain. This is a natural route for a person with a disability, seeing as they more likely than not will experience some form of pain (be it physical, mental, or emotional) on a regular basis. However, an issue arises when the drugs that an individual takes become abused.

The adverse effects of drug abuse produce countless consequences for those who abuse them, disabled or not. As such, research has been conducted that attempts to determine the background behind abuse as well as factors that play some type of role. When disabled youth become the focus of this discussion, a new realm of possible outcomes arises. How are the social relationships of disabled children and their peers affected? How do parents and teachers deal with situations stemming from differences among students? What is the role of a health educator or exercise therapist in this population?

This particular paper will discuss drug abuse among people with disabilities. In a more general sense, it will discuss disabilities of individuals in the adolescent stage of life. Results of research will show the examination of the characteristics of drug abuse and its prevalence in both the overall population and the youth cohort. It will place a scope on drug abuse in these disabled populations and briefly mention preventive measures. Furthermore, this paper will expose the recurring fact that there is limited research in and around this topic. As such, the conclusion will attempt to explain what can be done in response, and why changes should be implemented. Throughout the paper, exercise therapy techniques will be mentioned and validated.

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Use Your School’s Physical Education Program as the Mother-Lode For Building Your Sports Programs

Interscholastic sports coaches all want to win. We all want to have the best team, the best players, and have our team compete for regional or state championship. One of the best ways to do this is to use your school’s physical education program to identify and recruit athletically talented students.

 

Over the years, in my role as athletic director for a very large school district with multiple schools, I’ve witnessed every level of athletic performance in all the sports we offer. Invariably, when I speak to those coaches with poor performance records they lament about the lack of talent in their school (e.g. “We are in a down cycle for athletes”), the “bad attitude” of their players, or the lack of desire among their students to play sports.” But when asked about what they are doing to get students out for their sports, these coaches give vague responses and rarely share with me any specific strategies they are using to find, recruit, or develop their talent base.

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Marketing Physical Education

Think about your favorite restaurant. What is it about that particular restaurant that makes it your favorite? Chances are it is the combination of quality products, good service, and a great atmosphere that keeps you coming back for more. If any one of these three areas were below standard would you return? You’d probably think twice before recommending the restaurant to your friends.

Now think about your physical education program. Your students may or may not have a choice whether or not to frequent your classroom, but if you are trying to promote your program, then satisfying customers should be your first order of business.

First, take a look at your product. Do you have a quality physical education program that has a variety of skills on the menu? Although students often seem to prefer to play certain games, remember that they only know what they have experienced. Varying your content and using a variety of strategies, technology and also differentiating the instruction will keep students from getting bored and will motivate them to move with purpose. Furthermore, students who find your classes intellectually as well as physically challenging will be more likely to talk about, “What they did in PE today,” to their parents.

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Promote Physical Education By Making Connections

As a public school physical educator do you ever feel that you are the “best kept secret” around? Because what you do and what you offer children is so vitally important, do you find it hard to believe that no one really knows, or understands what you are really all about? Do you sometimes think to yourself, “If only they knew!”

Well, what are you waiting for? Why not let others know the importance of your physical education program? In fact if you want others to support your program and appreciate your teaching it’s vital to make time to become a PE promoter. But here’s the key: you need to do it in the context of how you fit into what others are trying to do, whether they be kids, staff, parents, or school board members.

Too often, physical education is viewed as simply a scheduled break in a classroom teacher’s day. Of course this is not the case everywhere. Thankfully there are people who understand the importance of PE and respect its place in the school’s curriculum. If you are already a part of one such building or district, congratulations! Your hard work promoting your program has been successful. Keep up the good work! Hopefully, this article will give you more ideas you can use to continue your PE promotion efforts.

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Should we be Concerned about Increased Public Support for Physical Education’s Mission?

In case you missed it, there was what appears good news for school physical education and its mission this fall. Here’s a sampling:

According to a CDC report, the worrying perceptions many of us have had of ongoing program and position cuts and declining support for K-12 physical education were wrong. In the recently released 2012 School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS), a 10% increase was reported in the percentage of school districts requiring elementary school physical education over the past 12 years.

At the middle school level there was almost a doubling of the percentage of states providing lesson plans and tools for evaluating students’ progress. And nationwide there was a 20% increase in districts adopting policies requiring schools to follow national, state, or district PE standards.

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Preparing for the New School Year

What are YOU doing to prepare for a new school year? Truthfully, if you are a proactive athletic administrator and/or coach, you are preparing all year long. This Coaching and Sport Section will cover several areas of concern for interscholastic athletic program administrators, and may help teachers and parents understand the challenges an athletic program endures behind the scenes.

Spring 2013 I had the opportunity and pleasure to tour Dorman High School campus with director of athletics, Flynn Harrell. This month I called upon him to respond to some questions about the challenges of an athletic administrator preparing for a new year. Thanks To Flynn I was able to pull the following article together.

Here are two links to documents used by Dorman High Athletics that can be used for ideas within your own athletic department. One is Dorman High School Athletic Policy, and the other is Spartanburg School District Six Coaches’ Manual 3013-14.

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The Power of a Coach

The role of a coach is multidimensional and their responsibilities are diverse. Regardless of competitive level a coach can serve as a teacher of strategy and technique, or a source of emotional support and/or motivation. Coaches are teachers. The good ones teach not only how to perform a physical skill and play a game, but also how to constructively handle oneself in and out of competition. They can have a significant impact on the development of the individuals with whom they work.

Today I work as a professor in a Kinesiology program at a small public college in the Northwest. Prior to beginning my time in academia, I lived the life of a college student-athlete and then later as a college coach. My experiences are cherished and shape my perspectives on work ethic, personal relationships, and self-confidence.

Many of my students aspire to become physical education teachers, coaches, or athletic administrators. In and out of class we discuss the importance of sound leadership in the positive development of youth. Many of my students have chosen their degree path and professional aspirations because of interactions with an inspirational coach and/or teacher from their youth. In addition to loving movement and physical activity, they too want to positively impact others. They recognize the power and meaning of such a relationship because they benefited from one.

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