History of Conductive Education

On looking at the items I have in the library that contribute to the history of Conductive Education I realised that the use of the word history can be a little arbitrary to say the least. What constitutes history? When does an item become an historical account/critique? What do we mean by history? When does something/an event become history? Is yesterday history? Barack Obama made history yesterday we are told.

Not easy questions to answer, at least for me. According to Collins English Dictionary, history is :

a record or account often chronological in approach of past events, developments

So I have put together a list of items that present a historical overview of Conductive Education by those looking back to the beginnings, either relating their experiences or presenting the facts of the events as they have been able to discover them, and are about the development of Conductive Education itself rather than the man. András Pető himself is shrouded in mystery as he did not reveal much at all about himself, but there is still a reasonable amount of material. He deserves a separate list which will follow at a later date.

Conductive Education; an historical overview

Ákos, K. and Ákos, M.(1997) The enigmatic Dr Pető. The Conductor, 6(3-4), pp.49-55.

Anon (1996) A history of the International Pető Institute. The Pető Magazine, Summer, p10.

Dévai, J. (1997) The first years with András Pető; the birth of Conductive Education. Unpublished paper.

Forrai, J. (1999) Memoirs of the beginnings of conductive pedagogy and András Pető. Budapest: Új Aranyhíd and Birmingham: Foundation for Conductive Education.

Forster, V. (1997) A view from the past. The Conductor, 6(3-4), pp.43-48.

Hári, M. (1970) The short story of conductive education. Unpublished paper.

Hári, M. (1990) The history of Conductive Education and the principles of the Pető system. In International Pető Association, First World Congress; conference proceedings. Budapest: International Pető Institute, pp.3-5.

Hári, M. (1997) A konduktív pedagógia története. Budapest: Mpanni.

Hári, M. (1997) Die Geschichte der Konduktiven Pädagogik.Budapest: International Pető Institute.

Hári, M. (1999) The history of conductive pedagogy. Budapest: International Pető Institute.

Hári, M., and others (1991) A konduktív pedagógia eredete. In Hári, M., and others, A konduktív pedagógiai rendszer hatékony működésének alapelvei és gyakorlata. Budapest: Nemzetközi Pető Intézet.

Kilborn, E. (2007) The Hungarian origins of Conductive Education: an educational system for children with neurological disorders (1945-2001). Unpublished paper.

Sutton, A. (1986) The social-historical context. In Cottam, P. and Sutton, A., ed., Conductive Education; a system for overcoming motor disorder. London: Croom Helm, pp.3-28.

Sutton, A. (2004) Handling ladies. Unpublished paper.

Sutton, A. (2006) Notes towards a history of Conductive Education. Unpublished paper.

Sutton, A. (2006) Conductive pedagogy yesterday, today, tomorrow. Unpublished paper.