AMERICAN ADAPTED PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY

Adapted physical education in the U.S. has evolved from medical, corrective gymnastics. The original influence of Swedish gymnastics was passed on to American Universities via Hartwig Nissen (1855-1924), Nils Posse (1862-1895) and William Skarstrom (1896-1951). The first American leaders of corrective gymnastics were Lillian Curtis Drew and Louisa Lippitt. The corrective approach was the philosophy of physical education for students with special needs from the 1920 till the 1950. Leaders of APE in that era were Charles Lowman (1879-1977), George Stafford (1894-1968) and Josephine Rathbone (1899-1989). They very closely cooperated with physical therapists. A great number of World War II veterans influenced the major changes in sport for people with disabilities. World War II significantly changed the approach to physical activities for people with disabilities, which led to the separation of corrective physical therapy and adapted physical education in 1952.