Conductive Learning Center

We have survived our first week of conductive learning! As I have mentioned before, we are enrolled in the parent child program at the Conductive Learning Center- a 3 week intensive therapy session for 2 hours a day, 5 days a week.
Prior to our class we were warned that it was exhausting for both child and parent which proved to be true! By the time class ends I feel that I have spent my whole day’s worth of energy and it is only 11am. But, although exhausting, it has been productive.
Conductive Learning is hard to describe. It is based on the belief that the body can reroute messages from the central nervous system through alternate paths. In other words, if there is nerve damage they believe that an individual can learn new ways to pass messages from the brain to certain muscle groups. Conductive Learning originated in Hungary and is gaining popularity worldwide. The program is known for its success among people with cerebral palsy, but their methods have benefits for people with spina bifida as well.
Carson and I have done multiple types of therapy and there are a lot of things that are very different about the Conductive Learning Center. So far I love the approach they take. They really take into account the “whole body” and well being of the individual. There is also a lot of emphasis on the verbal aspect of the therapy. Although Carson is only 11 mo old it is not uncommon for the conductor to say something like “You do it, Carson. Come on, lift your leg, touch your toes, crawl over here…” Obviously he cannot understand every word, but the repetition of this will help him start to follow directions, and activate him physically.
There are only 4 children in the class and 3 of them have spina bifida. Among them are his friends, Greyson and Whitney. I think it freaks him out a little bit being amidst the chaos of multiple kids, but I think he enjoys the activities and the other children as long as they don’t get too close to him. Eventually the peer pressure of other kids excelling physically is a good way to motivate. As for me, I enjoy the company of the other moms. It’s awesome to cheer on the kids. One of the bonds I think we share as moms is the pride we have when we see one of the kids succeed.
The past few days have been especially exciting for our family because of Carson’s latest milestone achieved. After months of hard work he is “crawling.” I don’t mean in the traditional sense, but he is moving his body forward to travel to a toy so that counts, right? We are so proud of him!