The Friday Clinic
The Friday Clinic provides developmentally appropriate motor instruction in an environment that allows for success through exploration, problem-solving and encouragement. Children with disabilities are provided opportunities to experience physical activity in both land and water based activity with peers of varying abilities.
This program is a cooperative venture between the Center for Excellence in Disabilities, WVU’s School of Physical Education, Monongalia County Public Schools and St. Francis Central Catholic Grade School. Classroom teachers and aides travel with the children and are available when specific questions arise. The clinic teachers and assistants are college students and the individual tutors are St. Francis eighth graders. This unique blend of abilities, information and desires combine to provide the participants with a challenging yet obtainable level of success.
Three clinics comprise The Friday Clinic: Developmental, Fitness/Sport and Aquatic.
The Developmental Clinic is designed for young children and children with minimum motor skills. The curriculum centers around small groups working on the basic motor skills of locomotion, non-locomotion and manipulative skill acquisition, rhythms, creative movement and cooperative play.
The Fitness/Sport Clinic encourages older children to be fit-for-life. Fitness/Sport Clinic participants are taught age-appropriate sport skills and given the opportunity to practice these skills with a peer tutor to improve their performance.
The Aquatic Clinic focuses on water safety and water skill acquisition. Participants engage in water-related activities individually designed for optimum performance, regardless of starting ability level.
West Virginia University Physical Education/Teacher Education (PET) majors instruct Friday Clinic participants. PET students assess each child’s ability and prescribe a developmentally appropriate program for optimum learning. WVU students enrolled in the Disabilities Certification Program, Athletic Coaching Education and Child Development are frequent volunteers.
For information contact:
Dr. Lynn Housner
WVU School of Physical Education
Phone: (304) 293-3295
or
Dr. Sherry Shuman
Center for Excellence in Disabilities
Phone: (304) 293-4692
Other motor developmental resources include: www.bechoosy.org
