Helping Students THRIVE—A Two-Way Street

Abstract

At the University of Central Missouri (UCM), the THRIVE program is made up of young adults, ages 18 to 25, who have developmental or intellectual disabilities. A merger occurred between the THRIVE program and the adapted physical education course required for physical education teacher education (PETE) students to provide practical experiences for the PETE majors to work with students with special needs, and to provide THRIVE students with meaningful learning experiences related to fitness, skill and healthy lifestyles. Most importantly, all students develop positive relationships. This merger — THRIVE PE program — has led to positive outcomes for both the PETE students and the THRIVE students. The purpose of this article is to share the “nuts and bolts” of how this program works so others in PETE programs can consider adopting a similar course of action for their students. The hope is that this article will serve as a springboard for the development of similar programs that benefit both PETE students and students with special needs.