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Conductive Education - Techniques
In practice, conductive education is a learning program for people with
motor disabilities. It focuses on the practical functions of daily life
and teaches individuals skills that will enhance their daily functioning
and increase their independence. The primary aim is to teach children
and adults with a neurological disability to control their movements and
to function in society. The main concept is educational rather than
medical.
The programs are run with groups of 10 to 15 individuals held together
by a conductor. The conductor, who has been trained for 4 years in areas
of psychology, basic sciences and the teaching methodology, is
responsible for the structure, rhythm and tempo of each session. The
mode of teaching is verbal, with the conductor calling out instructions
for each activity as it is being done. The members are encouraged to
join in with the calling, which may be in the form of counting or saying
a word which emphasizes the action (e.g. 'stretch, stretch, stretch').
At the beginning of each session is a warm up that is different for each
individual. The session progresses through several different activities
in a variety of positions: lying down, moving into sitting, standing and
walking.
The activities vary from simple to more difficult, with an emphasis on
the accomplishment of a task. The sessions are goal orientated, although
the means to accomplishment may differ with each individual. Each
activity is directed towards a specific function commonly difficult for
the individual. With PD, for example, a task could be rolling over.
Successful achievement of this function is the goal.
The conductor is responsible for keeping the tempo of the session as
well as being firm and encouraging. 'Rhythmical intention' is used to
maintain motivation and helps people initiate the movement and continue
to move through the exercises smoothly. Practice is viewed not as a
mechanistic repetition of meaningless motor acts but as a conscious
process of learning optimal motor solutions to particular problems.
Again, this emphasizes the point that the achievement of the functional
goal is of the utmost importance.
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