"We'll cross that hurdle when we get to it". Teaching athletic performance within adaptive physical education.

One student with developmental delay learned to hurdle in adaptive PE.

The coach used stimulus control shaping. He first reinforced stepping over a flat line. Then he raised the bar one inch at a time.

Each new height only appeared after the student cleared the last one ten times in a row.

The student went from zero hurdling to clearing a 12-inch bar in 14 sessions.

He kept the skill for the rest of the school year with no extra practice.

Green et al. (1975) showed the same shaping idea works with pigeons pecking keys. Szempruch et al. (1993) moves that lab trick onto a real track with a kid.

Russo et al. (2019) used a changing-criterion shaping plan to add new foods for teens with autism. Both papers break big goals into tiny steps and raise the bar only after the learner wins the last step.

Buskist et al. (1988) taught cooking chains with time-delay prompts, not shaping. Both studies got strong skill gains, showing you can reach the same mountain by different trails.

You can teach any motor skill, even fast hurdling, by slicing it into safe, winnable bites. Write a height ladder or speed ladder. Reinforce each tiny win. Move up only after ten perfect reps. Try it next PE session or in any clinic with a mini-trampoline or balance beam.