Conductive Education is an unconventional approach by which people with neurological issues such as Cerebral Palsy can specifically and consciously perform actions and acquire skills. Anita Coppola explains.
Cerebral Palsy is a condition that affects muscle control and movement. It affects about one in four hundred children. It is usually caused by a brain injury before, during or after birth, but there may be no obvious single reason.
There are many traditional approaches to address Cerebral Palsy, of which physiotherapy is the most obvious. Each of these approaches addresses just one aspect of the manifestations of Cerebral Palsy. But although the primary problem may be physically based, neurological conditions such as Cerebral Palsy also impact on other areas of human development, including cognition, social skills, perceptual abilities and speech and language. These conditions therefore cannot be seen as isolated physical disabilities.
Conductive Education (CE) is not a conventional approach. It is not a therapy or a treatment. Rather, it is a comprehensive method of learning by which people with neurological issues such as Cerebral Palsy, learn to specifically and consciously perform actions and achieve skills. The CE methodology was developed by Dr Andreas Peto in Hungary in the 1940s. Peto recognised the benefits of integrating education and motor-learning into a unified holistic system for those with a lifelong neurological motor disorder such as Cerebral Palsy. In 1987, the then Foundation for Conductive Education (now NICE—National Institute for Conductive Education) sponsored individuals to travel from the UK to Budapest to train as Conductors. Scope similarly funded twelve students. Thus, Conductive Education in the UK began to flourish, with more than forty settings across the country, with centres of excellence at Ingfield, Rutland House and Craig-y-Parc schools. Conductive Education settings continue to thrive, offering services to children and adults alike.
What is Conductive Education?
- Learning is conscious and active.
- Everyone can learn—a neurological condition is not a limiting factor.
- Action, and intention to act, are meaningful.
- Movement cannot be separated from other functions, be they social, sensory, cognitive, emotional—they are all integrated. Human function is holistic, and people learn to function holistically.
- Social interaction is pivotal—being together, learning together, the dynamic and momentum of a group is motivating and promotes progress.
- Clear, consistent expectations facilitate learning.
- Motivation facilitates learning.
- Experiencing success facilitates learning.
- An opportunity to practise and apply learning in a variety of situations is essential.
The principal features of Conductive Education are:
- The Group
- The Conductor
- The programme (Daily Routine)
- The task Series
- Rhythmical Intention
- Facilitation
- Observation
- The Learning Environment
Conductive Education is about active learning. It presents as a positive discipline, based on the strong belief that children with physical disabilities—Cerebral Palsy—can learn new or different ways of approaching everyday tasks through a greater knowledge of their own abilities., Dr Peto’s programme is about groups of individuals who can learn components of skills which are needed to meet the challenges of everyday life. Children learn about their bodies. Life skills are broken down into small achievable steps.
Conductive Education is holistic. It is a learning process which incorporates therapy and play in the daily routine. The child is not a recipient of treatment, but an active participant. They are led by a Conductor through a series of tasks in order to enhance their abilities across all areas including sensory, physical, social, emotional and cognitive. Sessions are organised in groups. Children and parents watch and learn from each other with the lead of the professional who is responsible for the group. Parents support each other and share their experiences in their group.
Tasks and programmes are devised for each group according to their age and ability, ranging from the baby sensory session to an independent mobility session. Children are offered different experiences and opportunities to develop their existing awareness and skills. Routine is important. The sequence of activities devised for each group is repeated each time they come to a session, though utilising different topics and motivators. Motivation is an important factor in enabling participation. The tasks are differentiated for individual children in the group according to their individual needs, based on observation. The emphasis is on the positive. An algorithm is used when devising the tasks, which means that in order to be able to do something (for example standing up), you have to achieve smaller targets (raise foot awareness, put feet flat, shift weight forward).
Rhythmic intention is used, which means using specific language to support each activity. Certain songs can be used to reinforce each activity and act as markers throughout the session. Facilitation techniques involve helping the children with verbal prompts, the right physical support, or sensory curriculum input, in order to achieve their goals, for example using a tilted stool to help achieve straight posture, or brushing a scouring pad firmly over the body to reinforce symmetrical lying through tactile input. There is specialist equipment such as plinths, ladders and slatted stools, which have been around since the days of Dr Peto. More recently additions include fibre optics and bubble tubes to complement the multisensory approach. Most importantly, it’s lots of fun, for children and grown-ups alike. Children and their parents can apply these ideas in their everyday routines at home (for example getting out of bed or lying over a roll to watch the TV). The intention is for as much consistency for the children throughout their day as possible.
Dr Peto wasn’t a fundamentalist. “Take it and use it,” he said. So that’s what we’ve done.
Anita Coppola
Anita Coppola MBE is Head of Small Steps in Richmond, Surrey, which is a charity providing a pre-school support service for children with physical disabilities and motor-development delay.
Website: smallsteps.org.uk
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For information on conductive education: conductive-education.org.uk
