|
CE
Home | About CE |
Testimonials | Links/Resources |
FAQ | Contact Us |
How to Help | Thanks
Conductive Education - Testimonials
Chloe's
Story...
We have a six year old daughter with cerebral palsy, Chloe.
She is affected in both her arms and legs. We have tried Conductive
Education three times. When she was 2, we took her to Calgary for six
weeks,which we feel was a great kick start for her. Chloe started potty training
then. They were great and gave us a lot of things to do with her.
When she was four, we went again for two weeks in Kelowna
and it was good too. We also went this past November, for a week in Langley with
the Purpose program, and to be honest I think it was the best.
Because we were present for the 4-5 hours each day, doing
the hands-on work ourselves, we were able to really learn a lot and understand
what we were doing it for. We also learned how to incorporate Conductive
Education into parts of her daily living.
Let's face it; doing Conductive Education yourselves is
impossible. Very few people have the time and money to stay home and work with
their child for five hours a day. Most of us work, have homes to keep, and have
other children to care for.
Ideally, conductive ed would be funded by the government,
and all kids with physical disabilites would enter the program so they can
acheive the most they can physically.
From each CE program, Chloe acquired a lot of motivation,
and she had a lot of fun. She loves doing the exercises and it shows. She has
gained a lot of strength since we started. She knows that if she works hard
enough she can acheive goals and she gets quite excited when she does.
Thanks !
-Angela Gratton, Mother of Chloe
Blue's
Story...
My son, Blue, was born in October 1997. Shortly after his
birth, and diagnosis of cerebral palsy, I read an article—already two years
old—in the Reader’s Digest. It was Kevin Hickling’s story about his daughter’s
ability to stand and walk. The words “Conductive Education” cemented themselves
in my mind.
For three years, I hoped to organize some way to get my son
to Calgary, or Ontario, or even Hungary for a month of this stuff. It wasn’t
possible. In August 2000, I discovered there was a conductor living in
Kelowna. (She’s been there for ten years, and works all over North America.) I
immediately took my boy to meet her. Her name is Pearl.
One thing Pearl emphasized was that Blue needed to always be
holding something in his hands. “Holding Chames! Holding!” I tried and tried to
keep things in his hands, to encourage him to use the handlebars on his walker,
to have a hand on his cup as I helped him to drink. It seemed impossible. His
strong little arms kept flexing up to his chest, off to the sides and back.
In March, Pearl set up a circumstance that not only inspired
Blue to hold on with both hands, but to also sit unassisted on a stool, and eat
at the same time. He was at the plinth table with the other kids. He was sitting
on his little ladder chair, and Pearl had put a mirror on the table in front of
him. Over the mirror, she sprinkled “pop rocks,” that candy that reacts in the
mouth with little snapping and popping sounds. Blue knew it was candy, but he’d
never sat unassisted. He was always arching backward, and pulling his arms up
and away.
On that day in March, by merely focusing on the candy, Blue
sat on the chair, placed his feet firmly on the floor, grasped the slatted table
with both hands, leaned forward, - and watching his face in the mirror, licked
up as much of that candy as he could. When he was finished, his strong little
hands were hot, and I was fighting tears. It was the first time in his life that
he sat upright without straps, buckles, pillows, walls, or Mom and Dad there to
support him. It lasted for about thirty seconds.
In the summer 2001 session, our second conductor, Hajni,
taught me how to encourage holding the ladder in front of him, while Blue sat on
the floor. With his legs extended straight in front of him, and both hands
holding the ladder, I fed mashed lunches to Blue 2-3 days a week. He wasn’t
sitting nicely everyday, but he did it EVERY WEEK, for up to ten minutes at a
stretch.
None of this would have happened without the assistance of
Phill and Lynda at the Purpose Society. They allowed one father and several
other parents to plant a seed for this new program. Since October 2000, we’ve
organized four sessions, and the fifth is being planned. Because Purpose stood
behind us, we were able to bring conductors to us, instead of the gargantuan
task of taking our children out of province, or even out of country.
Today, Blue knows the routine, and when I get the blender,
and the little ladder chair, he starts smiling and kicking and chattering. When
I help him into position, and encourage him to hold on, he does. We’re still
working on it, but there’s change.
Now he can sit on his little toilet seat for five minutes,
without a struggle. This sets us free to begin more serious potty training. My
apartment has more rungs and slats than most homes, but I don’t mind that one
bit. Today, the only thing that stops our learning together is weariness, not
hopelessness.
A year and half later, I’m still volunteering my time as
coordinator of the Purpose program. It’s been worth every minute.
- James Forliti, New Westminster 2001
Marco's Story...
I strongly believe that early intervention is the key. If
you haven’t heard it before, early intervention should be pursued, not talked
about.
After age 5, our kids go into the schools and they may get
even less; especially if the parents give up.
 After
his first ten days of Conductive Education, I saw my son stand for the first
time, ten seconds, unassisted, all by himself. Prior to this, I only saw him
standing in my dreams. He was five when he stood for the first time. I felt like
crying and laughing. I’m still overwhelmed.
When I saw him stand for those first ten seconds, it
motivated me as a Mom. I then started to change the way I dressed him, carried
him and moved him. It made a change because now he hangs onto my neck and stands
up by himself. He inspires me.
- Kory Benedet-Niccoli, Mother of Marco
Kurtis’ Story
We have only just begun our experience with CE. What we
have been offered is hope. The hope we have is that our son will one day have
the ability to ambulate independently within the home environment.
Kurtis has many things to learn about how to control his
body without the use of the supportive equipment that he has. Conductive Ed will
teach him and us how to obtain these objectives. We are incorporating
opportunities for Kurtis to experience independence in his everyday life. He now
has a table and chair that he sits at to eat his meals. As he gains stability in
sitting on a chair he will be encouraged to reduce the amount of time in his
wheelchair for other activities.
We look forward to having a conductor available to work with
Kurtis on a consistent basis and work towards our goals of independence. With
the right exercise and proper practice we have high hopes for our little boy.
Thank you, Purpose, for making this opportunity possible!
|
