Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026

Physical Activity Measurement in Children Accepting Table Tennis Training
Published on: July 27, 2022
Difference, adapted physical activity and human development: potential contribution of capabilities approach
Carla Filomena Silva1, P David Howe
1School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK.
Abstract:
This paper is a call to Adapted Physical Activity (APA) professionals to increase the reflexive nature of their practice. Drawing upon Foucault's concept of governmentality (1977) APA action may work against its own publicized goals of empowerment and self-determination. To highlight these inconsistencies, we will draw upon historical and social factors that explain the implicit dangers of practice not following policy. We propose that APA practitioners work according to ethical guidelines, based upon a capabilities approach (Nussbaum, 2006, 2011; Sen, 2009) to counteract possible adverse effects of APA practitioner action. A capabilities approach is conducive to the development of each individual's human potential, by holistically considering the consequences of physical activity (i.e., biological, cultural, social, and psychological dimensions). To conclude, this paper will offer suggestions that may lead to an ethical reflection aligned with the best interest of APA's users.
Related Concept Videos
Introduction to Developmental Psychology
Natural Selection and Adaptation
Beyond physical adaptations, psychological...
Humanistic Psychology
This approach...
Three Developmental Domains
Physical Development
Physical processes, also known as maturation, encompass the biological changes that occur across an individual's life. These changes begin with genetic inheritance and continue through various stages, including growth in height and weight,...
Carl Rogers' Humanistic Perspective on Personality
The organism refers to an individual's inherent blueprint, which Rogers saw as innately positive and directed toward helping others, unlike Freud's view of the id as driven by base impulses. The self is a person's...
Human Genetics
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...

