Adapting Conductive Education

By Jerry Lucas

Conductive Education is an educational system which teaches children and adults with motor disorders to be functionally independent and self-sufficient. Motor disorders are problems related to control of body movements arising from brain or spinal dysfunction. Examples are cerebral palsy, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and stroke.

Conductive Education was developed by Dr. Andras Peto in Hungary in 1945. Although it has been practised for almost 50 years, it is virtually unknown in North America.
I was introduced to Conductive Education in the fall of 1990. A 1986 BBC film, "Standing Up For Joe", follows the pilgrimage of Joe, a young child with extensive motor disabilities, and his parents to thew Peto Institute in Hungary. Joe’s progress in the Peto system and the broadcast of this show in Britain resulted in extensive demands by parents of children with motor disabilities for service by the institute. It also led to the establishment of the Foundation for Conductive Education in Birmingham, England. In November, 1990, I visited the Birmingham Institute and attended the First World Congress on Conductive Education in Budapest.
The physical and philosophical environment in which Conductive Education developed is very different from our North American culture. The system assists children with motor disorders to become mobile in order to access the school system and the community at large. Buildings in Hungary are not barrier-free. The child, not the facility, is expected to adapt.
Overriding these societal differences, however, is the tremendous success of this system, with integration achieved by 70 per cent of all participants. In light of these results, parents and professionals from around the world are studying the Peto method and attempting to adapt it to their cultures.
Conductive Education differs from conventional western therapeutic approaches in a number of key aspects:
1. Education vs. Treatment: Conductive Education is not therapy and offers no cure. As a system of education rather than one of training or exercise, it attempts to transform the personality as a whole. Therapy focuses more narrowly on motor functions.
2. Conductor vs. Specialist: Conductors are specially trained facilitators of the learning process. They are trained as educators and rehabilitators, studying physiology, psychology, education, speech language pathology and music during their four-year programme. Specialists intervene for brief, specified purposes. Conductors work with the individual throughout his or her programme.
3. Intensive vs. Episodic: Traditional therapy tends to be sporadic and short-term. Conductive Education is intensive, with children’s programmes lasting the full day. The Conductor is involved continuously in all aspects of the participant’s development.
4. Group vs. Individual: An essential element of Conductive Education is group work. All activities are performed in a group environment. The group serves as a supportive community, offering socialization and stimulation, competition and motivation, security and support.
5. Self-Initiated Action vs. Manipulation: The therapist facilitates movement through handling. While the Conductor does assist at times, they stress self-initiated actions. Peto believed in the "plasticity" of the mind, that numerous routes are offered by the spinal cord to the brain, and that the human mind is highly modifiable. Therefore, the process is designed to allow the individual to find the route from brain to limb which best permits motor control. Music and repetitive rhythmic phrases are used to help the child to focus on what he or she is going to do.
6. Attitude: A common observation by visitors to the Peto Institute is that the staff are very positive and goal-oriented in their approach. This is naturally passed to the student. Learning takes place in a reinforcing, non-threatening environment.
The spread of the Peto method outside of Hungary has been slow. Conductive Education did not attract external notice for the first twenty years. Broader recognition and interest has only developed in the past five years.
Conductive Education is beginning to appear in countries around the world, including most of Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Israel. Recently, interested individuals in the United States and Canada have met in New York City to establish a Conductive Education Association in North America. A number of barriers exist to transferring Conductive Education to Canada:
- Conductive Education is based in a culture which is inaccessible and requires the individual, rather than society, to make accommodation.
- Hungary has few assistive devices available, while in Canada, we tend to address mobility problems with the provision of equipment. Peto differentiates between devices which promote the development of walking (canes and crutches) versus those which promote technological dependence (wheelchairs).
- The Peto programme is delivered in a segregated environment, as all participants have similar motor disorders. Those in the more intensive programmes live in-residence. Both appear contrary to the move toward mainstreamed education.
- In North America, most professionals are specialists. The Conductor as a generalist is contrary to current trends and practices.
Over the past two years, I have encountered written and spoken criticisms of Conductive Education -- that it is nothing new, it has limitations, it is not applicable in our society. Rather than rejecting it, the real challenge facing us is to determine how we can adapt Conductive Education within our society, borrowing the best from both systems. Hopefully, the development of a North American Conductive Education Association is the first step in this process.

(Jerry Lucas is Director of Program Development, Ontario March of Dimes.)