The library contains all sorts of items about CE written by all sorts of people; conductors, students,academics, health professionals and those who have experienced CE themselves or have children who have. These reports are what I want to talk about today.
Experiental accounts present some of the most interesting views and perspectives on the practice from the other side, whilst debunking some of the myths about 'boot camp' or 'just exercises'.
Last week I was reminded of how powerful such reports can be when I was sent an account by Maria, a 52 year-old woman with cerebral palsy who had experienced CE for the first time as an adult despite reservations as she is keen to maintain her mobility and independence which had been affected by age.
I was very sceptical of trying this treatment as I thought how can any intervention help me now at my age, but hey, anything is worth a try to help me maintain my independence and mobility.
She goes on to say
How wrong was I? Conductive Education is very different to physiotherapy. Physiotherapy only exercises my muscles. Conductive Education teaches me many different series of tasks to help me get the most practical control over my body. It teaches me how to make may movements in a 'normal' and correct pattern and aims to replace my old habits with new. Every movement is broken into steps, which I learn to do counting a rhythm. I have also been taught to use controlled breathing which assists me in making my movements.
During the last five years I have continued with sessions of Conductive Education. My general well-being, self esteem and confidence are vastly improved. I don't feel as exhausted as I did and have more energy. I have learnt so much about cerebral palsy and now understand how my body functions.
She is just one of a number of adults to record such experiences which help to form a body of experiental affirmative literature in the absence of any academic research on CE for adults.
Parents, too have recorded their and their child's experiences of CE and talk about CE being more than just exercises. For example, in 1997, Celeste Repasky wrote
While the gross, fine motor and speech improvements are visibly apparent, our daughter's progress in the cognitive/personality realm is more subtle but equally important. After Conductive Education our daughter was more confident, and independent and had increased self-esteem.
As a result of such changes and development some parents have gone on to establish centres in their home town to enable more children to benefit from this education.
A list of accounts can be found at
http://www.conductive-education.org.uk/2008/pdfs/LIBRARY/bibliographies/CEwhatdoneforme.pdf
and parents' experiences at
http://www.conductive-education.org.uk/2008/pdfs/LIBRARY/bibliographies/Parents%20Experiences%20and%20Expectations3.pdf
Perhaps Maria should be given the last word
Conductive Education has given me my very own 'pocketful of tricks'.I carry my'pocket of tricks' with me all the time; even take them to bed with me. When ever I am struggling to do a task out come my 'pocket of tricks'. My 'pocket of tricks' are tasks combined with controlled breathing which Conductive Education has taught me.
They live with me, they never fail me.
I would be grateful if anyone who has written or has copies of such experiences could send them to me either in paper or electronic form to add to the library's collection.
References
Dalmon, M. (2008) CE for life. Unpublished paper.
Repasky, C. (1977) Conductive Education; a parent's perspective http://members.aol.com/jimceleste/cond_ed/cenews.html
