Adapted Physical Education Specialists

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.

Most important skills

Instructing
Active Listening
Speaking
Learning Strategies
Social Perceptiveness
Reading Comprehension
Writing
Active Learning

Key knowledge

Education and Training
Psychology
English Language
Administrative
Law and Government
Public Safety and Security
Customer and Personal Service
Sociology and Anthropology

What the work involves

Review adapted physical education programs or practices to ensure compliance with government or other regulations.
Request or order physical education equipment, following standard procedures.
Write reports to summarize student performance, social growth, or physical development.
Attend in-service training, workshops, or meetings to keep abreast of current practices or trends in adapted physical education.
Write or modify individualized education plans (IEPs) for students with intellectual or physical disabilities.
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.
Prepare lesson plans in accordance with individualized education plans (IEPs) and the functional abilities or needs of students.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Social, Conventional, Realistic.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Bachelor's Degree (45.5% of expert ratings)
Related experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (31.8%)
On-the-job training: None or short demonstration (27.3%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 4: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Adapted Physical Education Specialists is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Projection education uses SOC 25-2059 (detailed_parent); it may describe a broader group.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Moderate	Lower on contact with others than 55% of occupations compared	59% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Low	Lower on dealing with the public than 73% of occupations compared	35% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly important”
Teamwork	Moderate	Lower on teamwork than 51% of occupations compared	45% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	High	Higher on freedom to make decisions than 71% of occupations compared	55% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom”
Time pressure	Very low	Lower on time pressure than 85% of occupations compared	36% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Conflict situations	Very high	Higher on conflict situations than 87% of occupations compared	41% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Very high	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 88% of occupations compared	52% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Consequence of error	Low	Lower on consequence of error than 61% of occupations compared	32% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: very low
Conflict situations: very high
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very high
Consequence of error: low

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions