Conductive Education
at Carson Street School
Committed To Inclusion Through Early Intervention
What is Conductive Education (CE)?
Conductive Education is a holistic educational system for children and adults with motor difficulties and allied needs, developed by Hungarian Professor Andras Peto at the International Peto Institute, in Budapest, Hungary.
Conductive Education views motor disorders as a potential barrier to learning due to the effect such problems can have on a child’s ability to explore and interact with their environment independently and spontaneously. CE teaches students techniques to overcome these barriers by providing opportunities to problem solve.
Conductive Education sees the child as a whole, recognising that each area of human development impacts on the next. Although the primary problem may be of a physical nature, cognition, social skills, health, emotional development, perceptual abilities, speech and language may all be involved, therefore these conditions cannot be seen as isolated physical disabilities.
What are the features of Conductive Education?
- The group and its dynamics provide a motivating and supportive learning environment where students learn from and alongside peers
- The integrated programme/daily routine is structured to meet each child’s needs within the group. It provides consistency, continuity, and reinforcement through opportunities to generalise skills across the day.
- Rhythmic Intention is a strategy used whereby speech, language and rhythm assist children to learn to regulate movement.
- The Task Series is a teaching tool used in Conductive Education. It is a series of tasks broken down into small achievable steps, designed to teach children the skills required to achieve a specific goal. The Task Series is an integral part of the school curriculum.
Orthofunction: The primary goal of Conductive Education
The primary goal of Conductive Education is to develop the child’s personality – to develop an “orthofunctional personality”. That is, to teach the child the ability to cope, to adapt to new situations and to be spontaneous.
Essentially, it is about developing a “can do” attitude – an active, problem solving approach to life and an adaptable, flexible nature in order to cope with the daily challenges life throws up – from walking, dressing, eating and personal hygiene to communicating, exploring the environment and engaging with activities and resources across all learning areas.
The key to success and independence is to instill in the child both a desire and an expectation that they can achieve.
Parents and families are encouraged to be actively involved in the program so that they can help the children transfer the skills they are learning at school into their home environment. By using the principles of Conductive Education across the whole day, the “can do” approach becomes a way of life for the whole family. The child’s confidence, desire and ability to be active, independent, problem solving learners will grow and grow.
Click here to view a short video about Conductive Education in WA.
What CE Programs are available at Carson Street School?
Early Intervention – Parent & Child Groups
This is earliest intervention for very young children (0-4 years) with motor disorders who attend and learn alongside their parents, run by a Teacher Conductor and supported by a Speech and Language Specialist.
Aged Conductive Education Classes
Teacher Conductors run programs for Kindergarten to Year One aged students with motor disorders, with support from a Speech & Language Specialist.
Aspects of Conductive Education
Several other primary school aged classes for students with motor disorders, use aspects of Conductive Education. This means they are run by teachers with experience of working within a CE model, who are supported by a Teacher Conductor and Speech & Language Specialist for part of the week.
The Conductive Education Coordinator determines which students are appropriate for which type of intervention after careful evaluation.
Click below to download our brochures:
Special Thanks to the Conductive Education Charity of Western Australia (CECWA)
The school would like to acknowledge the partnership which has developed over the past 10 years with the Conductive Education Charity of Western Australia (CECWA) which aims at improving programs and practices.
CECWA shares our mission to provide and promote Conductive Education as ‘best practice’ for children with physical impairments across the metropolitan area.