Conductive Education in B.C.

8 reasons why Minnesota is better than British Columbia

2012-01-10T18:21:00.000-08:00

1. Minnesota has a horizon, not just a bunch of silly mountains.
2. In Minnesota, they don't commit crimes en masse when the stupid hockey team loses.
3. In Minnesota, hockey is fun and religion is confined to church.
4. In Minnesota, people say "hi" when you look at them.
5. High-school kids in Minnesota don't think marijuana is salad.
6. Minnesota fans are happy to make the acquaintance of Canuck fans at Wild games. Canuck fans are sad that they might get in trouble if they pee on your pants as you stand at the urinal.
7. In Minnesota, there's not a starbucks every four blocks.
8. In Minnesota, six cans of beer aren't priced like six cans of caviar.

Stupid fish.

2012-01-10T17:54:00.000-08:00

I've never seen the English version of "Finding Nemo"; but in the Spanish version, at the climax of the story when everyone is stuck in the net and it seems all is lost, the absent-minded Dory says, "Nada haremos."
This means, "Nothing we will do." BUT, the verb "nadar"(to swim) when conjugated as "nadaremos" means, in the future tense, "We will swim." These two phrases sound so similar that a group misinterpretation occurs. Dory was giving up, but everyone else thought she was chanting, "Let's swim together." It created a storm of co-operation; changing everything for everybody involved.
Somehow this screwball approach to success sounds familiar to me. Perhaps I have to tell myself this, for I have been surrounded not only by spendid folks like the conductive types I've met since 2000; but also by a veritable HORDE of nay-sayers. I feel (occasionally) that I must be nuts; that something indeed very large and compelling is wrong with me for drifting along so loyally with conductive education.
Ought I to be doubting it, at last? Hasn't the time come for me to drop this tattered flag and tramp on back through the mud to my camp?
Sigh.
Well, let me think about it...heck no! The end result of Dory's ravings and the blind repetitions of the hopeless crowd was FREEDOM. Freedom is not a thing easily found these days, even though so many institutions are set up to look out for the Canadian family.
As an American by birth, freedom has been kind of cemented in my head. Cement though, does not birth freedom. That is best done with more pliable things: like whoopee cushions, songs for reaching up, and group cheers at every object tossed about the room.
It's too easy to see the net; but why look at that bureaucrap when the massive, swirling, pulsing ocean sprawls out around us at every side?

God love 'im; Dad's gone on to Greater Glory.

2011-11-11T21:10:00.000-08:00

Truly, there does come a point when a guy has had too much. With my amazing Dad, his battle with lymphoma had just plain tuckered him out. He did a splendid job of it; and my Mom too as they tried to counter, cure, reverse, ameliorate - whatever - the effects of his illness. In late August, we went for his first golf game in a long time. We celebrated his birthday with family, and then it flared up again. Just today, Remembrance Day, at 9:pm Minnesota time, we held his hands and rubbed his hair for the last time as his next big adventure began. He had had enough, and boy oh boy, am I gonna miss him.

Can you say Glenda? I wish Blue could. Heck, maybe he will.

2011-10-03T20:59:00.000-07:00

Holy smokes. I've been living in Surrey since 2002, and it's taken until today for me to buy Glenda Watson Hyatt's book, "I'll Do It By Myself." I have become so confined, focussed on my own little world; when all the while there have been so many wonderful people around from whom we can learn: Anne, Scott, Glenda, BLUE, and many more I am sure whom I don't know yet.

Even as I type this, I am acutely aware of how impossible it will ever be for my Bluetiful boy to do such a 'simple' thing as typing; or keyboarding as the modern lexicon would have it. Yet, Glenda is here; and there is such a thing as patience. I think I have another lesson, or several, coming; and I am grateful for it.

Sometimes, I hate blogging. It can make me feel like I'm dangling on a rope and my climbing partner has fallen asleep. But yes, there it is. Throw some rocks, dawn'll find us all here TOTALLY UNSCATHED and stronger for it.

My kingdom for 10 students!

2011-09-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, yes, I know I was blathering on in foamy exultations about the new conductive school; but let me wipe the stuff off my chin and "do some 'splaining." (That's explaining, I reckon)
the Purpose School for Conductive Learning is merely taking a little longer to set up because setting up a school takes more time than we had for a mad crush to a September start. Thus, madness aside, the plans are still building, foundational support is appearing both organizationally and financially. A location has been secured. The set up is ready to go, as in no major renovations are needed to prepare it for accessibility. Now all we need are 10 students to begin.
To those families who are looking for a full-time conductive school day for their kids, we are looking for you!

Where's the pudding?

2011-07-06T00:35:00.000-07:00

I'm pushing 50, so let me add whatever curmudgeonliness I have to Andrew's remarks on yet another "study" that fails to glorify conductive education.

So many ask, "Where's the proof?" I say first, how about some pudding! Where's the pudding? Can we start there? If a verifiable "study" was required to do anything worthwhile, sliced bread would have never been invented. It's truly sad that they don't erect statues to critics, because all that pigeon poop would then trickle down the shoulders of the deserving.

We all know cerebral palsy is for life; yet we're still ignorant and stupid and pie-eyed and Pollyanna enough to still do something about it, oops, I mean, conductive education. When folks are convinced that they want something, they want it.

Who these study-writing clowns really are are just simply the other clowns who look at folks like me and ask, "Who is that clown?" I must ask, "Why do you ask?" And further, "Who cares?" And also,"What is to be done with all those holiday leftovers anyway?"

You know who amazes me in her utter ignorance about conductive education? The conductor! That's who! She's the most lost of them all when it comes to CE; and that's what makes her the BEST. She's a student first and always. She leads by example. Without her curiosity and dogged seeking for the next idea, the next moment, the next Aha or Eureka or Whatever; then she'd be just like all the bored and boring and disinterested professionals who profess to profligate progress on my poor palsied progeny. Holy smokes! What did the school system ever do for him? As my Grandpa used to say, "Zero with the rim knocked off." That's what.

Give me a curious conductor any day before a conference crammed with the collectively comatose charisma of "the team." I'll take a conductor anyday. I love those idiots. And Lord, make me a bigger fool than all of them.

Canada's first conductive school - seeking more students now,

2011-06-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

Well, here we go now. The Purpose Society and Moving Ahead Conductive Consulting have teamed up to offer something just a weensy bit bigger than a "summer camp." In September 2011, BC's first (and likely Canada's first) conductive school program. We aim to begin with no more than 12 students on the elementary level. Some of the spots are already taken. Funding will be done via the usual education dollars route that all schools in B.C. use; although depending on the big picture there may be a moderate tuition fee.
The Purpose Society has been operating the Purpose Secondary School for almost thirty years. Purpose has both: experience and expertise, in establishing and operating effective school programs in B.C. They just never had a conductor available, full-time.
We are seeking families and students who want conductive education to be a part of their school experience. If you know anyone who may be looking for that custom-made educational experience for their loved one affected by a motor-disorder or any such severe disablility that makes education a challenge, contact me for more information, or call the Purpose Society and ask for Phill. 604-526-2522 Zsipp - Zsupp !!

Trust

2011-03-08T18:15:00.000-08:00

Eleven years ago, a few families, one conductor, and a non-profit agency all trusted me to make a leap and start a little Conductive Education program. Here we are now, and Anne and her family have pulled up their Manitoba roots and made the leap out to B.C. to build on that trust. Susie Mallet in Germany, and Andrew Sutton in England fanned the flames of that idea; and I am very very very very happy to report that Moving Ahead Conductive Consulting is getting busier each month: and Purpose Conductive Education is proud and happy to offer more CE to families this Spring, and this coming summer.

It's nothing short of amazing. And I believe that more amazing things are coming. A resident conductor is incomparable to itinerant conductors. INCOMPARABLE, and that is a thing one can trust. Zsipp-Zsupp!

There's a bump on a blog, in a hole, at the bottom of the sea.

2011-03-01T17:34:00.000-08:00

Put a trademark on the sun,
Copyright sit, walk, and run;
Give me a break, for shame for sham
and twist a good thing into a scam.
Price it past nonsense and schedule it wrong.
Bureaucracy listens to its own song!
But a piece of wood, a little tape,
a sniffling parent sitting agape
at five minutes' wonder, so long awaited.
Something's seriously under-rated!
And flim and flam fill out their papers
while Pumpkin teaches unteachable capers
to overly-strapped-in specialty types
still rubbed ignorantly with baby-wipes.
O Canada, O modern man,
is this what we think when we ask if we can
drain more dollars from that CP stuff?
I say forget it; we have quite enough.
That boy, that child, that girl with the glasses
deserves more than the funding of special needs classes;
though less when you look at it honest and true,
I dare say not yet, what we mean to do.

Hmm, I think I've just about had enough . . .

2011-02-22T00:15:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't mean to bring anyone down; but holy smokes, I don't think I can take it any longer. Talking about conductive education; screw that, I'm not even talking conductive education, I'm just talking about my son's ability to stand up and how to assist him to continue using his legs; generally speaking.

Nobody cares! There are the few, my friends, Pumpkin, a few others; but the "professionals"? Anyone 'certified' who actually wears the badge and talks the talk of "working with these kids"; well, hmmm, one might as well go outside and ask the seagulls if they've seen the first robin of Springtime yet.

In the meantime, and despite it, the first Spring Session of Conductive Education since 2008 is rolling out the drooly carpet in mid-March. Nice to know that some things don't have to go the way of the Dodo bird. Hoping and praying and talking too much isn't necessarily my idea of a nice tradition. Assembling the plinth tables, getting some more whoopee cushions, signing up a few volunteers, and running to the coffee shop to the tunes of a small learning group singing the potty song: these are fine traditions and I will be practicing them again soon, with a sense that everything is alright in the world.

Zsipp - Zsupp, join the group!

Best explanation ever!

2011-01-31T23:17:00.000-08:00

Viktoria, the conductor, has explained CE better than I've EVER seen, heard, or read. Thanks, Viktoria! Follow the link below.

http://www.exceptionalfamilytv.com/blogs/families/janet/conductors-point-view-conductive-upbringing

Spring Break session is on.

2011-01-18T21:29:00.001-08:00

In addition to all the work Anne is doing now, she's gearing up for the spring break session at Purpose. Check the website for details.

http://www.purposesociety.org/conductive/conded.html

Minnesota!

2010-12-22T22:40:00.000-08:00

Wow, just great being home for the holidays. Temperatures ranging from -8C to 1C, snowbanks piled up to five feet high everywhere. Glistening white snow, and all the houses of my friends and families that aren't tweaked in the least for a boy with CP. Wow. I didn't realize just how much Roxy and I have planned everything around Blue and his "situation."
So, to make it a little easier for us, we used a kaboodle of our 'Avion' points to pay for part of the hotel; and here we are on night 3 of 11 in a small, fully furnished hotel. I must say, the things we're learned over the years about food prep, facilitated movement, and communication; it all comes into play now almost somewhat desperately.
It was most interesting to see my nieces stand respectfully around, watching Blue sitting on my lap as if he were some fragile creature. Nobody really loosened up until I began rolling about in the living room a little with Blue. What can a guy do? Last time we visited without Blue,making the impression that we can run, jump, and play about like a typical Aunt or Uncle. This time, we're with Blue; and everyone has to kind of start over again re-learning who he is and how we is with him. Very interesting. I probably shouldn't even be blogging here, because how that process is working out is something I can't really explain yet.
All I know is that it filled me with peace and happiness driving my Dad's mini-van back to the hotel and looking across so many snow-covered yards to see Christmas trees lit up and sparkling in the front windows of so many cozy homes. Just having all three of us there to enjoy it was/is wonderful. Ahhh. Home.

Goldfish Again

2010-12-12T13:06:00.000-08:00

Holy smokes, would you ever think your friendly, little, "community" tank would become a place of predation? No. But the goldfish, being the biggest fish in the tank, and hungry all the time, began eating the other littler fish. Ha! Am I surprised? Not a whit. IF the goldfish serves as a metaphor for conductive education (because it survived every other fish as the tank cycled through its various concentrations of biology)then what else would one expect it to do?

Being surrounded by a lot of bureacratic brown-nosers and wimps extraordinaires - the goldfish probably said to itself, "Right. Well, if this is as far they can go, I shall eat them." Seems fair to me. But, what must I do as the keeper of these stupid fish? After three had been eaten, I had to do something, and in true form, there's no way I am going to give over the goldfish. I bought a "divider." The goldfish remains in the same tank with the others, but there is a big plastic, permeable wall keeping it away from the other fish.

Maybe I should follow through and get rid of all the other fancy, wimpy, loser fish and give the whole tank to the goldfish. If it is to serve as an allegory for my journey with CE, that would be the way to do it. On the other fin, if it is to serve as an allegory for this odd world in which I swim, I ought to rename all the other animals after the various 'therapists' involved in my son's life. And sadly, I continue to protect them from the consuming power of conductive education because politics demands no less. Humiliation, separation, and loss: but none of it matters in the end because my boy is sleeping peacefully in my arms during those afternoon naps. My God, if Anne-Christiane wasn't here, I'd go nuts. Truly, round-the-bend, bonkers: nuts.

Gaps

2010-11-26T14:41:00.000-08:00

Just like the blue waves rolling in on the shores; there are gaps between waves. For me and my family, we have periods where there isn't much to "report." Blue is doing his thing, we are doing our things, there's nothing of import to pass along. I think maybe that is good news; you know, like the saying, "No news is good news."

No, I can't afford, nor am I going to the big, happy CE conference. There's nothing earth-shaking going on out here, but wait, there are many wonderful small, inroads being made by Anne Wittig, inroads of which I am so proud and happy. The quiet things are happening. The few families, people here and there around our community are shaking off the concrete of hopelessness and basking in Anne's warm smile, her humour, her brilliant curiosity. Yes, it is right and good to say that there is truly some wonderful conductive stuff going on out here now. Anne and I will soon begin laying out the offerings for spring break and for the summer program. Again, in these ventures, I will be busy with other things; but deep deep down I'm just breathing easier and happy to see Anne here and all the other folks whose names - new to me - whom I haven't even met. I couldn't have dreamed it any better than this. She's not busting her ass until the soon-to-return-home airplane trip. She's relaxed, living here, making a splendid work of art; and best of all Chris and I will go play hockey tomorrow night as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Gotta love Canada sometimes. I had gotten so tired of the 'excitement' that typically surrounded conductive education.

So, yeah; I think that's a blog entry.

A Blurb for the CP Association of B.C. . . .

2010-10-28T14:26:00.001-07:00

For my family, as we live and love with our child who has cerebral palsy, the mystery has always been how to start learning and working in the area of his abilities. Conductors have shown my family not only WHAT his abilities could be, but HOW to get him actually developing those abilities. It’s very difficult to describe conductive education; but the results are easy to describe. He’s on his feet more. He’s taking part in every decision throughout his day. He’s willing and happy to try to use his hands and arms more. He knows that he has a part to do in every activity. He has more fun doing simple things. He’s involved and learning to do things that his regular team of professionals hasn’t so much as suggested in all his 13 years.

This means he has more belief in himself. I have more belief in myself, him, and my entire family. With CE we’ve moved into new, unexplored areas; and we’re still learning, every day. I love it because everyone in my house is learning, from every little interaction and activity every day. (At least the potential to learn is there, depending on energy levels and such) Because my son knows that this growing and learning and trying is happening all the time, he goes along with it. He always has, because early on we got some effective training through conductors. Come to think of it, it has a lot to do with simply setting the tone; for everyone. I have often felt that tone has been set far too low and far too ‘disabled’ for my boy with his usual workers. As a result, there are some glorious, happy differences; achievable only with the open-minded, smiling, curious approach I have come to know as conductive education. Over the last ten years, I have met a lot of B.C. families equally wonderstruck at the simple efficacy of conductive education; when they had the rare opportunity to try it out. This effective and amazing approach is now no longer a rare beast. There is a conductor here to stay and she needs your support. The whole idea of CE needs support; get involved.

Parents.

2010-10-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

Having had my niece and nephew over last night for a "sleepover," it comes home more poignantly tonight how large the effect of a parent is in a child's life. I love my brother and sister, and I am honoured that they'd trust us to have their kids for a night and a day. In the afterglow of their visit, I see how formative a parent's perspective can be. The particular differences between us and the parents of these children became glaringly apparent to the niece and nephew this weekend. They discovered the chasm of contradiction between the contents of our fridge and theirs. These differences are usual; but for a youngster, it's somewhat more revelatory.

What WAS revelatory to me was seeing how an "able-bodied" child can be so inflexible in the mind. "I don't like [insert any normal food here]," . . .

What? My son doesn't even TASTE food, much less EAT it with his mouth! Argh, and here sits a 'normal' child using the mouth to not only deny the existence of every vegetable on the planet, but also TELLING me so. I found new levels of patience I didn't know I had. When we go to the trouble of making home-made waffles, and the kid tells me, "I want pancakes," well holy smokes, I wanted to hand him the yellow pages and say, "Find the local IHOP and call a cab."

Is this how 'real' kids act? Lord, it makes me wonder even more what is going on in my son's head! If nothing else, conductors have taught me to pay attention to the cues from a kid and respond to that; instead of to what I hope they are trying to say. Now that my boy is having a birthday, I feel almost allergic to having any other kids over to celebrate with him. They only gripe about things he never experiences. Drives me bonkers; totally bonkers.

Goldfish. . .

2010-09-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

Well, so, we set up an aquarium in Blue's room. During the "cycling" period when all the nitrates, phosphates, lactates, concubites, and Hittites were changing places in the population rankings; 8of 9 goldfish perished. The survivor has become a favorite creature of my better 3/4's and she has refused to allow me to return this hardy individual to the fish store. (They let you bring fish back to trade them in for more fashionable fins.)Apparently, the goldfish were meant to prepare the water for the more socially-beloved fish. Anyway, we have this one left; and he's somewhat of a pig. Eating everything, plants included, and getting bigger by the mouthful.

As an 'aquarist,' one learns that his status as "keeper of the tank" isn't as God-like as it seemed from the start. When everybody dies, and the only thing you can do about it is run back to the fish store and do exactly what they tell you [read 'sell you']; well the truth has come home to roost, baby.

And in similar fashion, the conductor bursts into your life all smiles and with her own unique accent; and we learn again how much we have to learn. Thank goodness! My mental aquarium has lost a few fish to this point. I need someone to toss me a flake!

Then we [Anne & I] meet another 'CP parent' in Seattle the other day ago. She has only recently learned that there is a conductor lurking in her city; so we put them onto each other. Hate to say so, but it's no surprise to hear this parent tell me, "He's learned more from an hour and a half with the conductor than in all of his therapeutic life." How crazy, that a phrase like that is actually old hat. Maybe conductive education is like that last, tough goldfish who stood the test and still stands.

Just a reminder, conductive education is moving again in B.C. Check the link on my blog list for Moving Ahead Conductive Consulting. Zsipp-Zsupp!

There IS conductive education in B.C. - go to Anna's link: open for business!

2010-09-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

http://movingaheadconductiveconsulting.blogspot.com/

Anna's here: living in Surrey for the present. She has wheels, a phone, a blog site, and a little brother with CP! She's the best.(And remember, she's German, so it's Anna like the Spanish speaker would say, 'Ana.')

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind; . . .

2010-09-08T22:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I see my boy really interested in a set of buttons. It's a toy for the really young; letters of the alphabet, push A, it says, "A." Simple. Not good enough for his brain. So, I hear about a keyboard that can be adapted for 2 buttons, 4 buttons, 8, and so on. Intellikeys, it's called. I send a message to the folks who have contacts; equipment, therapists, etc. I say, "Do you have one of these I could give a try? Can you tell me where I can buy one?"

What's the answer? Get me a referral, let's do an assessment; see what might work for him. Get the SLP involved, e t e c e t e r a. . .Find out what sort of communication thing-a-ma-bobs would be best for him. If I brought my car in for an oil change,and they told me to go get a referral from a mechanic to see what I really needed; well, you might imagine how that would transpire.

There is a word for this: bureaucrap.

ten long years, and five little days. . .

2010-09-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

After a whirlwind visit to the family in Minnesota, and five days playing with 'able-bodied' nieces, the familiar shock of my "CP child" comes as somewhat of a welcome rest. Everything is slower and odd, as usual, but his smile and his laugh and his soldiering on into every little task is inspiring all over again.

The magic-bullet [blender] finally lost its momentum and has to be replaced, so now we're looking into the really 'spensive machine touted as the premier G-tube feeder: the Vita-mix. I had to wrangle them to let me try it before I buy it. They will do so, and not charge me for the shipping; a good sign from a reasonable business.

Blue has six fish in his tank now, and there's room for plenty more. We were sure to get the blue-est one available; a gourami. Now he has, one fish, two fish, pepper fish, blue fish! Now I have to find a way to relocate the aquarium closer to his bed so he can watch them more closely. The original location across the room and on top of the dresser is great for us 'able-bodied', eye-level mutants; but for him the view is less captivating. Hmm,. . 102 litres of water, about 220 pounds? Going to have to get Troy and Jan and Sergio and Fingers involved here.. .

And of course, in other news, Anne-Cristiane Wittig will be arriving by driving from Manitoba this weekend to begin her new career as the Lower Mainland's only resident conductor! Zsipp-Zsupp indeed! Do the British trained conductors use Hungarian much?

Silence is golden, and duct tape is silver!

2010-08-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about the next step here, a conductor actually MOVING to the Lower Mainland (Vancouver area), that I feel somewhat gagged into silence. Over the years, I've learned there are plenty of people and organizations who like to have conductive education velcroed to their names; but once it becomes clear how much work and love is involved, well, fads fade.

I have also found that cerebral palsy (or insert your favorite motor disorder here!) does not fade. (That's my newfound acceptance and awareness and [big yawn] action!) It's like being tied to a railroad car but given the blessed permission to pull it with your arms and legs instead of just your teeth!

I have also learned that researching, talking, marketting, blogging, blah blah blah about conductive education is anti-climactic at best. The real magic happens in that tiny little world between the konductor, the kid, and the kparent. I get little bits of that magic every day as Blue and I continually discover different ways to achieve the same goals. Explaining it matters only to the esoteric few; which is good in some ways. After all, who wants the pressure of the attention of curious consumers of "news" peering into your fishbowl to see if a fish can really use a bicycle? No thanks!!

So, as the blessed moment draws nearer, our very own conductor coming here to stay and pay taxes with us; I find myself having less and less to say. She's going to build something and like my Dad always said: "You want to help? Get out of the way."

the rut thing to say. . .

2010-07-21T18:59:00.000-07:00

Like any dork who thinks he knows his stuff, I have found myself becoming stale. It's gotten so repetitive with my boy, that I have little motivation to try new things. I am forgetting to speak more to him; to ask him to vocalize. I notice when we're 'struggling' to make a transfer in or out of the van that I am doing too much work again, and he's relying on me to do it. Usually all it takes is one-deep breath and a moment's concentration to see what it is I must say to him. Like "put your foot down", "stand up", or "just relax". A touch, a word, a smile; very little does the trick, but I've become so entrenched in the repetitions, the maintenance, that it begins to look like a life's unchanging routine. This is not good.
Hence, with a little input, and I do mean a little; one can 'freshen' up a great many tasks. (So here we go . .) If one had access to a conductor on a more regular, and less intense, basis than say, a summer 'camp;' well, there'd be a lot more humanity to it I say. Participating in a summer session of six to eight weeks was really great the first and second times; but holy smokes, can I be honest?! Who in the world is happy to give up their summer ( a precious and wonderful time in B.C.) for a 5-hour learning workshop, Monday to Friday? Parents, of course, and let me add, dissatisfied parents; hopeless parents; desperate parents. Well, now that a bevy of us curious folks have had the curiousity somewhat attended to, it's time to stop acting like novices entering some weird monastery; hiding our secret methods from a misunderstanding public. Bollocks. (Of course, bollocks is hardly a Canadian term; but it sounds so much less offensive than well, you know.)
Therefore, I think, organizations that focus on starting a somewhat exclusive program, apart from already established institutions are not necessarily serving the families who need conductive education. For a time, for a cost, and in a proprietary way, they are definitely serving them; but my list of non-returning families is a lot longer than my list of steady clients. Why? Cost, of course, and this "magical-mystery" garbage that often makes practitioners of CE act like 'nobody wuvs me.' I cry, alas. Give me a break.
If it's going to work, it has to not only work; it has to FIT. It should start in the home, then seep into the normal, everyday school life. Working from the inside; where it's already a given that we're all here for the kids, and oh guess what? The kids are here too. Hmm, I rather like that.

Out of the goldfish bowl indeed. . .

2010-07-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

Mr. Sutton is right. Talking of CE outside of CE circles is rather important. I used to blather about it like a 'natural' when I first became involved with it. Now I don't even mention it until the conversation has moved along to a point where it might seem logical to explain "where I learned this stuff." 'This stuff' is utterly useless to me as a parent if it's not translatable, applicable, USEFUL in the real world. Because the things Blue and I have learned from CE are pragmatic and helpful in our family life, well, because of that I have kept up what I can. I wouldn't be "blogging" about it these ten years later if it hadn't somehow become useful and worthwhile.

Even today Blue and I were at the Sunnyhill Centre for Children in Vancouver. We were there to see Nicole, who for years has been seeing to his wheelchair and such gear; that it fits, works, functions. She casually remarked that I "handle him so well." This really made my day. There was no need to blather on and on about CE; though I did mention that British Columbia's 2nd resident conductor ever is coming at the end of the summer. Nicole smiled and enjoyed this news with me. It was no big deal, and we moved on to other topics; but it showed me that it's not always a battle. People see the sense in something and simple as that, they don't mind its presence.

Conductive education has always had that immediate sort of "curb appeal." Families who are confused, desperate, scared, and weary of hearing bad news are buoyed up by CE; not because it's CE, but because it hits home and matters right away in their every day lives. At least, for a great many it does.

Setting something straight. . .

2010-06-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

Andrew's latest blog has me thinking, and Rony's ideas too. In British Columbia, the most beautiful place on Earth, the home of the 2010 Winter Olympics, the great, wet coast, etc. . . . well, there isn't really much conductive education at present. What there is, is a few families. I know them. I won't name names, but what we have is NOTHING AT PRESENT. I am not offering a service from which I make a living. It's not my business; it's my 'hobby.' (I think obsession is more likely the truth.)

For several years, I have had families contacting me to inquire about our CE program. Goodness! There's only a CE program for 3 reasons:
- a few of us choose to kitty up for it,
- a splendid, community-oriented, non-profit society (Purpose, in New Westminster) has supported our efforts,
- we've been able to pay the occasional conductor for short-term contracts.

All this is changing now, because the conductor coming will be living here and building a business. Do you think this is going to be some sort of magical, easy service that will be ready for those with loads of money? I know that people don't have a lot of cash for this. I also know that EDUCATION shouldn't be reserved for those with money. I also know that it's an insult to sell CE to people who want it at high prices, after school and on holidays.

There are a lot of wonderful things happening, but we need to hear from people. I would bet that the Purpose CE program has been the most cost-efficient CE program in the world. Nonetheless, that isn't satisfactory. It needs to be happening through schools too. That will not happen without the voice, the request, and the action of families and individuals looking for that something different.

Speak up.

B.C. conductive education services starting up again soon, check the Purpose website

2010-06-07T21:45:00.000-07:00

Since, October 2000, I have been organizing bits and pieces of CE in B.C. through the Purpose Society. Here is the link to our webpage:

http://www.purposesociety.org/conductive/conded.html

If anyone is interested in setting up some CE time, be it privately, in a group, or in one of our longer programs, or in the school, or anywhere or anyone you'd like to meet and work with the conductor; let me know.

I look forward to hearing from folks. Let's build this program!

You're soaking in it.

2010-06-05T23:41:00.000-07:00

No, I didn't relieve myself in my Dickies; though I remember it being really nice and warm for the first minute or so. Crassitude aside, I also remember there was a cheesy advertisement (is there any other kind) on the TV years ago for a dish soap: palmolive. One of the traits of the soap they were selling was the notion that it was so wonderful that a manicurist might dare to soak her clients' hands in it before she got down to the dirty work. After suggesting to her thoroughly unsuspecting television hand-soakers that they might do something so preposterous, "Madge" gently shattered their universes with the horrid news that: yes, you're soaking in it! Aha, what to do but accept this daring foray into unorthodoxy?

Well, the other day ago, I had that annual event in my house occur where the PT and OT and any other T who has T time in her (aren't they all women?) agenda come visit our little home to see how kosher we can be with therapeutical interactive conjunctivitis mechano-troublesome-equipment stuff. Well as a 'devotee' of conductive education, I tend to be allergic to the accoutrements and more rabidly fascinated in the organic machinery that arrived with Blue: namely him.
So, anyways, I showed 'em how we stand up, walk with Dad in front and in back, use large rice-filled denim legs for positioning and such, how to use the you-walk-I-steer method and what not; and before the time was T'd up everyone seemed happy and that was that. I didn't say the "C" word once, nor the "E" word either. Why bother? Nobody wants to make a wheel when there are already so many people trying to reinvent the square. So, I squared up with them, but I took a page from Madge and soaked them in it.

now the only complaint would be . . .

2010-06-05T22:54:00.000-07:00

that I have nothing to complain about! After so many years of "voice in the wilderness," or "pissing into the wind" this new mindset of GET BUSY is fantastic.
On principle, I stopped organizing little fly-in sessions about 5 years ago. I'd been burned once (by a very well-known Canadian charitable service organization, which I won't name here; oh, modesty prevents it) and one gets very tired of watching conductors leave and families all wondering when is next. So, I had stopped altogther.
Then Zsuzsi sent me an e-mail. A real-live conductor living in Seattle?! So close! And she was what? Working as a nanny? HOly smokes, talk about hiring an electrician to change a light bulb! So, she was available to actually take up my half-time job offer spread liberally over six months. It went very well, and just like that we were somewhat re-ignited. A local school board took interest. Proposals were begun, but nothing really happened because I am still waiting on the proposal and Zsuzsi got married and settled down in the Seattle area. Hmph. This was all still hopes and prayers until the conductor who we won't name yet decided to just come out here and go for it him/herself; knowing that I and all "my families" are behind him / her. Every possible family/client into the future is there for him/her as well.
This blog then is to somehow say that I don't really know what else to blog about now; but I will think of something.

OH Boy, Oh boy, Oh boyo boy, OH BOY!!!

2010-05-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

Conductor's coming! To stay! There IS a God in heaven. Thank you thank you thank you to Andrew, Norman, Susie and all the great folks who cared enough to give me a kick in the butt and a pat on the back when I needed it. Had we not been blogging; this wouldn't be happening. I feel like a kid at Christmas time!

Time to start planning CE sessions! (And a host of other plans and ideas.)

food: not just for eating anymore. . .

2010-04-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

golly, but that corner sitting stuff has been useful, but try holding your kid in the bloody corner for 10 minutes at a time. Your, well, MY wrists are starting to hurt. (It's likely just the beginnings of a little arthritis in my late 40's)
So, what is to be done? Well, go to the supermarket and drop 50 bucks on two bags of rice; round or about 18 kilograms each. Then go to your local 2nd-hand clothing store and buy 3 pair of jeans without holes in the legs. Then go to your kid's grandad who has an upholstery sewing machine. (Come to think of it, you could probably go to any local upholsterer. Be sure to bring your adorable kid in her/his wheelchair to elicit the maximum amount of co-operation. Sympathy is okay too, I suppose. If neither appears, PAY the upholsterer to sew the jeans closed.) Anyway, ya gotta cut the legs off the pants first. Bring the rice with you. After one end is sewed closed, add the rice; then ask the nice upholstery expert to fold and sew the other end closed. You help them hold it as it goes through the sewing machine. Now, when you sit your beautiful child in the corner to give their hamstrings a more co-operative relationship with the rest of the legs, you can read a book for them or dance a jig while they sit comfy and stable in the corner; hopefully laughing at you.

Tooth Brushing. . . .

2010-04-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

Yeah, right whatever, so your kid is NOT disabled. So take them to soccer/football practice while I explain a few things. Okay, so brushing teeth: what a headache! Holding the kid who stands intermittently at the sink. That works: intermittently, until he does the half crumple and bangs his knees on that splendid vanity with the splendid marble. The stupid driveway is equally splendid for the task at hand.

Here's what we've arrived at. . . (see picture) We help Blue to kneel at the lip of the shower, and then he bears his weight on his knees and his chest; allowing us to relax and have a good brushing. This has added a great deal of pleasure and time to a task that was becoming something that it seemed we ought to stop for its precarious possibilities. Roxy thinks I'm a little nuts, but she's in there like a dirty shirt helping to brush.

Pigs

2010-03-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

Thank God for conductive education because, without it,this morning's preparations for school would have been impossible. Why? My back, of course! That little muscle attacked me again; the one about kidney level. It tweaks, tightens, and tries to lay me out on the floor for the day. Roxy almost didn't go to work because I was so pathetically bound up.

ANYWAY, some good, hard, back-pain drugs and a few stretches later; I was mobile enough to at least get up and move around. But then there's Blue; waiting for me to help him get up, hit the bathroom, be fed, dressed, loaded into the van and make the trip to school some 14 km distant. That seemed a daunting task today; but it went off well, only because Blue is accustomed to using his legs, sitting and standing with a modicum of assistance, and carrying his own weight in walking.

I gladly admit that these skills would have never occurred as something to be taken for granted if he & I hadn't started learning it in 2000. That only happened because a splendid Hungarian woman, Gyongyi Schweigert, moved to Kelowna, B.C. when she did. We couldn't have afforded to bring my son to a CE program somewhere else. The proximity of the conductor, that simple thing we know as "availability" was the only requirement.

I sadly admit that not one of Blue's B.C. professionals have suggested, even once in 12 years, that the kid should actually learn to walk. Keep that bar nice and low, otherwise some kid with CP is going to trip over it.

ONE RESIDENT CONDUCTOR in the Lower Mainland (the suburban Vancouver area) will do amazing things. This I know. We just need one here to live, work, and build on what a handful of families have garnered from temporary programs.

My boy hasn't been enrolled in a formal CE program since 2003; but the time we had with a conductor up to that point was all we needed to lay out a useful foundation. Here it is, seven years later, saving my bacon. Well, technically, Blue saved my bacon; because he was able to help himself. Of course, that would be Canadian bacon; but I'm sure pigs are pigs the world round.

Still here, just want to say that. . .

2010-03-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

And still waiting for the next step of our project to lurch into life. Dr. Frankenstein had it easier than he thought. And my boy, my Bluetiful boy awaits for some play time. See ya!

Speleen test

2010-02-17T22:18:00.000-08:00

My son is 'integrated' into his school classroom. Hmmm, sounds rather like a piece of equipment; bolted onto a machine. It's old news that he is 'integrated' into his school; but every once in a while it just hits me again how bloody low the bar is set for him. His little log book from the classroom aide reports that his task at school today was to give the spelling words to the other kids for a spelling test. THis means that someone else recorded the words into a computer, he hits his head on the button (I think, or maybe they held his hand and hit the button with his hand) and the word is blurted out for the OTHER STUDENTS to do their chores. Holy smokes, is that what my boy is worth in the classroom? He helps the other kids practice spelling, yet noone is asking him to try to speak, or use his hands? Only conductors have touched that path with him. Sigh. I could just pull my hair out, but then my hair wouldn't be 'integrated' with my scalp anymore. And my goodness, what would the ears and forehead think? Scandalous. Just plane skandullis.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

2010-02-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xol2MM_PCTU Sometimes, modern music hits it on the head; I guess they do so for everyone now and then. These guys from Boston, the "Bosstones" the Mighty Mighty Bosstones wrote this number, "The Impression that I Get" and it hits me right there. Great song. Just the impression that I get.

Think I missed a moment. . .

2010-02-08T15:34:00.000-08:00

So there we were yesterday at church. Blue and I were returning to Roxy and our wooden bench. Out in the hallway area, I was scooting along in front of him on my custom-made 'scooter stool.' He was stepping nicely. I was helping him shift his weight. Lo and behold, here comes a group of children from their mini-service on their way back to their parents. Well, as is usual, all the children stared, silent, at Blue and I making our way. I have come to learn to ignore these stares. Not much I can do about it, and I have to concentrate on Blue anyway. But this time, one of the church ladies had the smarts to say, "He's practicing walking. Good job. You're doing great."

This so confused me that I didn't look or say anything, but for the first time in years it seemed that someone broke the silence with music. It was a prime opportunity to say at least thanks, or something; but the callous in my brain is too thick.

I'm going to have to find that lady and say something. I didn't even think to look at Blue's face to see if he was proud or happy about the remark. I was just watching his legs and torso as always: step, straighten, shift. Step, straighten, sheesh!

Islands.

2010-02-03T21:14:00.000-08:00

There are certain groups of folks whose status never changes in my life: old friends, family of course, and my fellow CE parents. It doesn't matter how long it's been; we can always understand each other. I recently had the great pleasure of inviting one of my CE friends to come play hockey with my Saturday night hockey crowd. He was available, and he came to score a whole bunch of goals as we looked on enviously.

Of course, afterward is the best time; and we discovered that neither of us has given up an inch (or a centimetre as it were, in Canada) in the battle to keep conductivity alive for our boys. There's a tonne of respect in that exchange in that stinky room with hockey equipment piled in the bags and a cold barley sandwich shared among friends.

Sure, the olympics are starting next week; but we're always thinking conductive education. Oh, Canada. . . we'll just see.

To blog or to pee, that is the drizzle of my drift.

2010-01-29T17:21:00.000-08:00

There is so little happening out here for CE (at least in my world) that I don't know what in the heck to say sometimes. Is 'blogging worth it? I think yes, when I read Susie Mallet's story of the "Littlie" in the washroom. Andrew has a pretty good story somewhat approximating the washroom as well. Hey, now there's an idea. Perhaps blogging about the washroom is just the thing to do. How about this. There is a large .... aww, nevermind. The thought was completely lost because my son (who I thought was having a nap) called to me, and I discovered that he needed to go "have a whiz." Thus ends my bathroom story for the day. Next, he wants to go to his ladder and do 'stand-uppies.' (Or at least he smiled at the suggestion to do so.) 'Stand-uppies' are very specialized activities only understood by specialists who specialize in specialities. They are impossible to explain here.

Last night's entertainment...

2010-01-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

Along the lines of reinvent and reuse, I had the fun job last night of rearranging a few straps, buckles, and solid metal braces in my boy's specially-adapted van. The objective was to make space for his comfy car seat and a few other accoutrements as well as having the ramp opened up for the wheelchair. Now Blue has the option to walk up the ramp himself and climb into his car seat; his wheelchair being rolled in after, empty. I find it's more and more interesting as the years go by; reason being that it's not simply a new idea, but rather an old habit being reworked and brought forward into the new elements of Blue's day-to-day life.
He will have to see again that there are several ways to get into his van. He will be invited to choose the way he wants. Roxy and I (and Jesusa, his "worker") all have the opportunity now to enjoy sharing this learning and choosing with him. Keeping him on his feet, encouraging him to exercise and participate; it's not our job as caregivers. It's a family venture shared by ALL of us as learners and inventors. Children playing a new game each day.

Haiti, Lizzie, and Darcy.

2010-01-21T18:02:00.000-08:00

I have a little photo on my blog here, captioned,"Lizzie on the up and up." The conductor is Zsuzsanna Balogh of Hungary; the lady on the other side of the ladder is a B.C. resident, from Saskatchewan that glorious prairie province that creates Canada's heartiest folks. Darcy Schille is a Canadian-trained nurse who adopted Lizzie from an orphanage in Haiti. That's right, Haiti. And this amazing woman sought out CE for Lizzie after Lizzie joined her family in Canada. Turns out Lizzie was part of an organization called "God's Littlest Angels" in Haiti. That is where Roxy and I are going to donate some cash toward Haiti's rebuilding. Darcy, Lizzie and a bunch of other stupendous persons I have had the honour of meeting keep the fires burning for me out here on the rainy west coast.

Crawl spaces and other such crap.

2010-01-19T20:47:00.000-08:00

Last night, while I was clearing out my tool room; I finally decided that I was probably not going to begin using the expensive, plastic commode chair that was ceremoniously foisted upon me by a well-meaning therapist last Autumn. The particular therapist who had the commode delivered to our house was so intent upon providing us with this wondrous piece of helpfulness that she even arranged the financing and payment.
So,the thing was delivered; several years after Blue has been toilet-trained in my household. I tried it, but the "footrest" is a flimsy plastic ledge that will not hold his weight. Thereby, he cannot step up into the thing. The straps and all their velcro take longer to put in place than the reason he is being strapped in in the first place. And the best part is that the thing won't fit in my washroom over the toilet. Thus, something that requires a ceiling-mounted lift, and a renovation in the house; has gone the way of no-thanks.
I understand very well that many persons with CP cannot bear their weight. I also understand that the parents of these people (like me) aren't getting any younger; but my particular son can still bear his weight and step around the house. Why would I, or ANY parent of a boy like him, begin using machines to do one of the few things he can do for himself? Because I have a plastic contraption with velcro straps onto which I can winch him, I suppose. Not on my watch.
That`s what conductive education did for my family. It taught my son and me and Roxy how to function in a normal house. So, last night I opened the trap door on my back deck and wrestled the commode into the dry, dusty crawl space. And that is something about which neither I nor my son give a crap.

kind of weird; but I suppose I should be accustomed to it.

2010-01-10T15:34:00.000-08:00

One thing the conductors never told me was that a great number of professionals would be ignoring things I do with my son because they had no idea that he could perform some tasks without their cumbersome expensive equipment.
Just this year, it was - behold - finally time to start toilet-training Blue. Some of his therapists happily delivered a shiny, new, plastic commode to my home. Thanks to the absurdly unsystematic appearance of CE in our life nine years ago Blue and I began learning how to use the toilet; which, incidentally included the use of his hands, his legs, his brain, and something to hold if such a thing was available.
Is it time for a garage sale?

impatience, irreverence, and indestructibility?

2010-01-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

I've been hoping, grinding, grumping, and whining for conductive education out here in the dampness since 2000. I've gone through many phases: nominal success, outright enthusiasm, serious hopefulness, abject despair, "back burnering", and tonnes of looking into the heavens as professionals roll their eyes and smile as they look through me. The only thing that has kept me going is meeting a handful of parents who, like me, have been encouraged by the few things they learn and continue to do only because of conductive education.
I'm at the place today where, despite myself and a thousands reasons to give it up, conductive education is still the only thing I can say is eminently useful for my son and me. It kind of pisses me off, that this one thing, this ONE THING is the only thing that seems impossible to get started out here. Maybe it's because I'm just a dorky Dad who has no time, and no expertise to do it myself. Maybe it's because the system is all locked up and resistant. Lord, some days I feel just rotten about it all. I ask myself, "Why bother?" Then I go to my boy, my gorgeous Bambo boy; and he grins and I ask him to stand up. I help him lean forward, and he's on his feet with that look on his face like he's going somewhere whether I'm ready or not. I see him happy to be stepping, looking over his shoulder as he stands at his wall ladder making sure that I'm looking; making sure that I see what we've gotten him into. . .and I know there's some sort of current under it all that seems to move this barge along.
It's not my boat. I just tried to bring one here. Heck, I've even had a school-board tell me they want to get it going in their system. So, I stumble and flop and wait by the muddy shore; trying to shove the barge into the water.
My little blog here is somewhat of a dream. There is no conductive education in B.C. beyond the private hours in the homes of families who can pay for the precious time. I'm quietly terrified that some well-organized body will come along and begin selling it like some magical answer at a great price, at ridiculous hours, in a proprietary platform made of bullshards.
I'm just a Dad at the bottom of it all. I have been privileged to have the support of the Purpose Society to arrange 11 CE sessions in the last 10 years. Granted, that's not much, but for a program that has no budget, a volunteer director, and no source of funding; it's not shabby. But who in the heck is satisfied with that? Ask the parents I know who are really pumped and impressed with what they have learned with their kids. It's only a taste. We need the steak. It's time for the potatoes, and I'll be damned if someone is going to turn it into some fancy gourmet dish. Just had to say that, I did.

Esta mañana regresé de México. .. .

2010-01-03T11:27:00.000-08:00

A handicapped parking spot doesn't mean anything in México. I think I'd lose my mind if I lived there with my son. In this last week that I spent in Acapulco, I saw about 5 disabled folks in public. Three were begging, one was walking with an obvious situation of cerebral palsy; though well-dressed and very confident and on his way somewhere. The fifth was in her wheelchair and with her family. Just gets me thinking. . .

not dead yet!

2009-12-23T11:12:00.000-08:00

Well, perhaps I'm delusional to think a group of parents raising "special kids" have time to form a new association. It's not going to happen. I am the best proof of it. In the last year, I have set all new projects aside to tend to home and hearth. Does that mean I've given up on CE? Of course not!! My boy and I still do our daily duties with his stretching, walking, moving, and playing.

I also try to remember what my financial advisor tells me, "Nothing good happens fast." Ha. How true. I am still working on things in my own backwards manner. Sigh.

Still here. . .

2008-11-12T17:33:00.000-08:00

Our last blast of CE ended mid-August, and everything seems to have gone so quiet. Being a parent of a kid with CP kind of automatically shuts the whole world out anyway, but I'm holding out for bigger things to happen. Just want to say thanks to Lori-ann, Darcy, Deb, Nicole, and Roxy for reminding me that it's still worth pursuing. We're arranging a small "demo" of CE for a local school board. Even more importantly, there is a small group of parents who are standing up for CE, and they're not ashamed to say it!
I realize now more than ever, that none of us set out to be political; but the situation calls for it. When the professionals never ask about what this CE thing is, and years go by, and you're still wondering who is going to see what you're seeing for your child. Well, I guess we just gotta take it to them, in every sense of the phrase. It's time to set up a BC Conductive Education Association, or the art will never take root here. Parents have to coalesce, just a few to start. I can't do this any longer on my own.

Slap-tember! Turning the other cheek?

2008-09-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

September has brought its school system down upon our heads again, and I'm betting I'm not the only parent of a kid with CP, or Autism, or Asperger's who is feeling the silence. We've had so many different types of clients this year. I'm feeling the need to apologize for being so focussed on cerebral palsy! It's what my son and I deal with, but wow; I can't even remember what some of our clients have been dealing with . . .corpus collosum?
It just goes to show that conductive education isn't "therapy," it's EDUCATION, and anyone with motivation and a healthy cheering section can learn in ways that will always surprise. I can't help but think about Annie Sullivan. Her name is forever synonymous with Helen Keller. Why? Neither one of them gave up. Helen was frustrated, Annie was persistent and the teacher never gave up on the child; never accepted that her work was finished because a good teacher is always an active student as well. Education is a pursuit, not a system. It's a game played for its own pleasure, for the discovery.
That's why a conductive classroom is built on that circle of ask, attempt, adjust, appreciate, and so on. . .it's a joy not only for the kids, but equally for the dedicated people who go through the process of expanding their envelope. Do you think Annie Sullivan wasn't practically beside herself with glee when Helen Keller hit her first epiphany? It's an amazing thing, and it shouldn't be a service that is sold at a high cost by some charitable organization. It should be a joyful chase through the everyday classrooms of "disabled" children; making them excited about each new day at school.
It's not like that, yet, in B.C. Imagine a kid running home excited about some new discovery, shoving open the door, and shouting, "Hey Mom! Guess what?" and hearing only silence! That's how a lot of us parents feel after six weeks of conductive education and we take our kids to school and say guess what?
There seems to be little guessing at schools. There are only assessments, and reports, and fear of insurance claims; fear of the raw potential of that child in the wheelchair. I can't even count the number of times I've asked my son's teachers to let him sit at a table with a bar on it for him to hold; their eyes glaze over when I make this request. Take him out of his __________? (insert piece of equipment here; it doesn't matter, each piece has enough straps and buckles to allow him to fall asleep in it.) They're not listening. They can't, and I don't know why.
Well, let me say as a Dad, my fear is that the wheelchair will swallow my son's ability to bear his weight forever. He can still stand and walk now, at age 10; only because a conductor cared enough to show me where his envelope was and how to walk along its edge; not tuck ourselves down inside and head for the lost letter office.
It's a lovely thing to help a child build their repertoire, and for a parent as well, to go on that journey of discovery with them. On the way, we learn more about ourselves.
Now more than ever it's important to not roll over and turn the other cheek; except perhaps to offer a Bronx cheer for those who think changing a diaper is about as good as it gets for our kids. Zsipp Zsupp!

Article in The Province, Sunday, 10 August

2008-08-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

John Fuller from The Province was so kind as to publish my letter to him and send out a photographer to Purpose. I was hoping you'd see photos of Kurtis & Lori-ann, Isabel & Deb, and Elizabeth & Darcy; but there's only so much room in the papers I guess.

Here is the link to the article.
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/unwind/story.html?id=70853862-6f70-4bb3-a6d7-631b4b90a279&p=1,

Thanks to Andrew Sutton for reminding me how easy and effective it is to use the internet to help people connect.

Great job these past six months, Zsuzsanna Balogh. BEST CONDUCTOR EVER, we are going to miss her immensely.

Summer School? Yuck! Or not . . .

2008-08-06T20:54:00.001-07:00

As a kid, the concept of "summer school" made me feel waves of nausea. Who in the world would want to be inside 5 days a week doing summer school? Especially with their kid? Essentially, a conductive summer "camp" is summer school. I was at the summer session today, sharing some time with the parents and kids there. It struck me as I was driving home that these parents don't have the haggard, "when is this over?" look on their faces. They looked like people who were content; people who were in the right place. I know the feeling, because the world doesn't go at our pace when there is a disabled child in the family. Nothing, nobody, and nowhere seems to have a clue what is required to build an environment for these kids; but a conductor can and she is doing a fine job of it.

Just watching their faces, I can see that these six trying weeks of conductive education have been worth it. They know the room, the pace, the activities are all custom built for their kids and that is a rare feeling for these parents. I can see it in their faces. I wouldn't say the price was worth it; even though we probably have the lowest cost for summer CE in Canada. No parent should have to pay this much for their kid to be in a productive, effective school setting.

Think I oughta say something. . .

2008-07-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, and I feel that I should say something. It seems that word blog itself sounds like something gooey and dripping; therefore it must run on. In short, my own son isn't even enrolled in "my" conductive education program. The reasons for this are multitudinous and I can't go into them here. Perhaps stupidly, I am hoping some version of cosmic justice will play a trump card in the end and make sense out of all of this.
At any rate, Blue and I have learned enough to continue working on things at home; so in a sense I don't feel particularly robbed, though I do miss the group dynamic. Funny thing is, the group is marching on without me and my son anyway. That attests to something; and we shall see if there is more curiosity out there than previously thought as the newspaper is coming this week to take photos. A letter and some photos will be published in early August in the Province newspaper. Watch for it, I have been told it will be in the issue on August 3rd, Sunday.

Welcome to Holland. Yeah, right!

2008-06-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

I'm Italian. Well, a great many of us Americans like to say that. Truth be told, I'm half Italian. The rest is 25% Swedish and 25% German; but I don't know a lick of either language. I've been to Italy twice, so I call myself "Italian." Now I'm Canadian, as well as Italian and American etc. To bring it all to glorious fruition, I have a son who is Canadian AND who has cerebral palsy. Since 2000, I've been a bit of a crazed knucklehead about this Hungarian stuff called conductive education; and my Mexican spouse has been incredibly tolerant and supportive of my craziness. Thus, Holland beats the cleats off Italy on the pitch the other day ago, now I don't know where I am.
Now to be honest, Emily Perl Kingsley doesn't sound like an Italian name. I honestly doubt she's ever been to Italy, but I have no doubt whatever that she understands what it is to be a parent of a child with a disability. I have read her essay "Welcome to Holland," and it rings true in many ways; but I can't help myself tonight. I just have to say it. Those Dutch uniforms, the orange ones, are a bit brazen.
I think those classical Italians look just that little bit better in their blue. Gli azzuri? No? Aren't they glorious as they run around LOSING the game? (I can almost hear them begging for the ball.)
In all their classical incompetence, they remind me that it doesn't matter where one ends up: Holland, Venice, Vancouver, Saint Paul. The pitch awaits; and cerebral palsy or not, there's a game to play and someone on your side is eagerly waiting for a pass. A whole crew of teammates are ready to burst into cheers when you score, and if you miss the net altogether; they will still run up and give you a smile and a pat on the back because you gave that ball a good kick.
That's all that matters in the end, really. Kick it. Kick it hard.

Oops! He did it again!

2008-06-02T22:15:00.001-07:00

Wow, a somewhat, (although usual) exhausting weekend; trying to make sure my blond-eyed-blue-haired number one son had plenty of opportunity to stretch, stand on, step with, and just plain USE his legs. It was a lot of clumsy attempts at trying to do what the conductor suggested; assist him in walking from the front. Easier said than done, I've always said. Nonetheless, half-sideways and sometimes in front, somehow we did manage to get some of this follow me thing going on instead of the usual "I'll push forward, you push back!"
It was all generously laced with deliberate, watchful attempts to slow down, get control, and put that left foot down; followed by the ol' "Good! Now stand on it!"
Tentatively, then purposefully, he did it; loading his non-bulk of 52 pounds onto that foot as we moved on to "shift, and step." Over and over, though I know it's really not much time. It's the quality of the practice that matters equally with the quantity. When he feels the weight shift, and he hears the word shift, and he knows he's not going to topple over; something goes click in his brain. I didn't hear it, but I saw the results.
It's truly another Carlyle moment, coming at just the right end of what seemed to be a redundant circle pattern of wet hair, lather, rinse, repeat.
Then, kapowie, last minute on his way to his other world he goes plunk plunk plunk, plunkitty plunk plunk; and we have a sequence of 20 or so measured, even, alternating steps. You can't tell me practice doesn't help. Fortune favours the brave, baby. Go for it.

Carlyle, Cameras, and Clips. . . .call me!

2008-05-08T00:02:00.000-07:00

Thomas Carlyle said it best. "Go as far as you can see; when you get there you'll be able to see farther." I'm guessing, but I think Peto himself would slap Carlyle on the back wholeheartedly at this remark. It's probably the closest thing I can find to explain why I try to do conductively educational activities with my son.
Of course, he has cerebral palsy. Of course, I wish we could play hockey together, have conversations, make and eat food together; one could go on and on and plunge deep into that chasm of self-pity, and sympathy, that seems to come free with a disability. When Blue and I are working together to find a way to share the task in some small, normal day to day event, these little Carlyle moments come up all the time.
Because he arrives at these tiny, but noticeable landmarks, I become interested all over again and again at how he's doing what he does; and we seem to start again, again. Undoubtedly, it looks and feels like a lot of work at my less co-operative points, but when Blue is feeling it, and trying, we definitely "see farther." What we see is hard to explain, because all the therapists and teachers in his life haven't gone the same way we have. They don't see farther for him holding the bar as he pushes up onto his feet, because they haven't (in 6 years of schooling) put a bar on his table and asked him to hold it. The people in the parking lot at the side of the highway only smile and nod at your description of the waterfall tumbling from one glacier-fed lake to the next.
It seems that people only see what they look at; so no amount of talking is going to "sell" conductive education in British Columbia. It's the pictures, the video that does it. With this in mind, we're actively collecting video clips to put pictures to the words of the kids, Moms, Dads, and people who practice conductive education in B.C. Some of them register with the Purpose program, some hire conductors privately in their homes, some travel to attend "camps" and some do all three. At any rate, the story needs to be told and to be shown.
If you live in B.C. and conductive education has become a significant learning event for you and yours, let me know. We have an expert fundraiser consulting with us now to raise awareness and funds in B.C. for conductive education. Upon her advice, I am documenting moments and thoughts from BC families. Give me a call, or an email if you want to add your experience to this movement. www.purposesociety.org (click on programs, and then conductive education.)

World -wide conductive community?

2008-04-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

Weird. We've got our conductor here now, for a 15-week interim session. She's working part-time (3 days a week) until July 5, when the full-time summer session kicks into high gear. IN the interest of keeping our budget above water, the conductor has booted off on a 3 week camping trip in Central America. (I want her job!!) Even with her absence, we have had more continuous conductive ed than ever because it was a week straight and she's been here every week since; at least part time. People are making connections, doors are beginning to open up, and goals are coming into a clearer focus and progress is beginning. It's great, but at the same time, one must admit that for the most part doors are closed; financially and chronologically.
Most parents who I know, who want this for their kids are squeezing it in edgewise. Simultaneously, they are squeezing the dollars for it somehow out of their budgets. I am feeling the squeeze too, as an unpaid volunteer director. I want to build a program, but I don't know how. I want to raise funds for it, but I'm no expert at that either and I don't have all the connections or know how around it. How can I connect with the world-wide conductive community?

Travelling with family

2008-04-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

As those in the know know, having a child with a motor-disorder launches one into a new universe with a one-way non-refundable ticket. At least one gets to travel with family. The odd part is that the child tends to be the tour guide, showing the ostensible adult a great number of awesome and vast expanses that are virtually unknown to the publishers of life's little tour guide. We're off the map.
Being off the map means what? Well, for starters it means everyone else's map isn't really of much help. One has to make his own map, and the best point of reference for making this map is the child in one's lap; who, for all technical definitions, is often described as not knowing where he is or where he is going. Just let me say, this is a lie.
The child, (even the "non-verbal" type, especially the non-verbal type) knows where he is and where he wants to go. Figuring out where that is can be a challenge; a monstrous one. My whole point of raving here in this blog is to say over and over that the only thing that has gotten me started in earnest into the this territory called "My Sonland" is conductive education. Without the confidence and support of the conductors, I would have never begun to ask my boy to do so many things we now take for granted. Getting him out of the wheelchair and onto his feet? A notion all the traditional therapists never suggested. Stretching his legs properly? Nope. Asking him to use his hands? They still don't. What's happened is that my son's life at my house is completely different from his life in the hands of others.

Hand over Hand?

2008-04-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

I often have parents tell me that I'm doing a good job; and to hear that from parents of kids with CP is the highest compliment I could imagine. The thing that really baffles me though, is to see how so much work, to bring one conductor here for a while, produces next to nothing in the way of curious professionals. It's like the school system and all the therapists have eaten our kids alive and we can't have them back until the children are eighteen.
I am not excited, to say the least about waiting to see what horrible things happen to my son's joints, muscles, and motivation as all these professionals vampire their wages off him and write little reports. I think it was said best by a parent I know, who recently told me: "My son's SEA has very nice handwriting. She sends me a lot of her artwork." I too have a lot of "schoolwork" my son "did" that I keep in a large box in his closet. I just can't bring myself to put "his" work on the wall, or the fridge, or anywhere. It just doesn't look like his work. I guess they call it "hand over hand." That's how Canadian teaching assistants and therapists name the practice of making my son write what they want him to put on the paper. I think they should call it "hand over mouth."
I also suppose I shouldn't take it to the system so hard, but this is my blog; I have to say it somewhere. Seven years ago, I tried to give a videotape to my son's teachers. It showed him sitting at a table, holding onto a bar with no assistance, no belts, no buckles; for half an hour. The tape ran out of space before Blue (yes, his name is Blue) stopped holding; and that's accounting for him letting go with one hand a couple times and coming back to grip it again.
I might as well have eaten that videotape. That would have made more sense to them. My no-longer -repeated requests to the teachers about this odd, holding-on phenomenon that my son purportedly did once upon a time have ceased. I have learned my place, and it seems to be nowhere.

Inside looking out. . .

2008-04-03T00:21:00.000-07:00

Here we are, out on the great wet coast of Western Canada, where every child with CP has 5 therapists who visit him/her at school; and remarkably a whole lot of nothing changes. My son represents money to the school system, he is work, jobs. Sadly, the only learning that stuck for both him and I was in the conductive classroom I was able to set up at my work; because my employer is a non-profit agency with the insight and flexibility to allow a desperate father to try something "new."
My son is still in his school, inside looking out at the conductor on his off times, and in my home when we can.
Due to the support of my workplace, I have had the fortunate accident happen that a conductor called me from Seattle, of all places, and we worked out a contract for her to come here until mid-August. Now, as much as I'm happy to have her here, the money has to be found to bring her back some more. British Columbia is a sad story when it comes to conductive education; though I could tell a number of awesome tales about individual families and what they've seen happen after just an insultingly small amount of conductive education. To be honest, I also have to admit that there have been a lot of families who tried it and haven't come back since; but there is no blame to be laid for this. We all have our kids to raise, and our particular circumstances within which to do it.
As for me, if 1 child is happier, and more involved, more engaged, more functioning; it's worth it.