Connor is three years old and has cerebral palsy. He has been visiting the institute since he was 18 months old and attends the early intervention service for two-hourly sessions two mornings a week. He also goes to a mainstream nursery in Birmingham. The sessions mix play with exercises. On average there are six children and their mothers in each session. Connor's mother Joanne says, 'When we first started Connor was just learning to sit up and his balance wasn't right. Now he can pull himself up on furniture and can walk alongside it, taking his first steps. It's brilliant because we can then go home and take the exercises we've learned with us. It's given him a lot of confidence.'
The Institute managed to fund Connor for a year, but now Joanne has to pay for sessions. She says, 'It costs 10 every time we go, but it's money well spent.'
Joanne has not been told a definite age when Connor will start walking, but knows that without this his progress would be a lot slower, as he only sees a physiotherapist about every ten weeks.
Charlie Hickman
'Originally they just thought it was delayed development,' says Janaina, who uses the word 'heartbreaking' to describe the moment she was told her daughter Charlie had cerebral palsy. Now, aged six, Charlie can walk across the room, something which Janaina believes would not have been possible without the input of conductive education. When Charlie first attended the Institute in April 2001 she could only stand for a few seconds, but eight months after her first conductive session she took her first steps. Janaina says the sessions have improved Charlie's all-round confidence. 'She used to find it frustrating in the playground at school but now has the confidence to join in.' At present, Charlie attends a mainstream primary school and goes to the Institute for one morning a week. The classroom assistant has visited the Institute and has been taught the exercises and how Charlie needs to sit in the special chair she has at school. She also receives copies of Charlie's progress reports from the Institute. Charlie only receives 20 minutes of physiotherapy once a fortnight on the NHS.
