A long wait
My
conductor friend and I decided at least 10 years ago that we would spend a week
together in Budapest. She trained as a conductor in the UK and I in Budapest –
I wanted to show her the home of Conductive Education and she longed to see it
with me. We never had the time at the same time to make this trip, until now.
Three years ago when we learned
that Budapest was to be the venue for the 9th World Congress of
Conductive Education we fixed the date and we both immediately booked a week free
from our work. We are both self-employed and we kept that week free for three
whole years!
The
only thing we planned was to book ourselves in for everything on offer at the Congress.
I had done this in Hong Kong and had had some of the best experiences of the
Congress at the pre-and post-congress workshops.
First impressions are lasting impressions
We
arrived in Budapest on a grey, misty, below-freezing afternoon the day before
the action started. We had a few hours after unpacking to jump on a few trams
and soak in the Christmas atmosphere in the city centre.
It
was great being with someone who had never seen any of the sights before. I
retraced in my thoughts my own first arrival in 1989 and saw it all again as if
anew, through the eyes of my friend.
Pre-congress Budapest
On
Friday 9th December we trundled up the hill from the Hotel Budapest,
just like I did most days for four years when I was a student (though not from the Hotel Budapest!).
Pre-congress
workshops 8.30 – 14.00
The
presentations went on until almost 15.00 as we were given several welcome 10-minute breaks, which were used to say hello to old friends and refresh
ourselves with drinks and delicious titbits, including pogácsa (cheese scones) and szaloncukor
(sweets that are hung on Christmas trees).
A new book
It
was a very interesting, informal morning. I took notes that I will go through
during the Christmas break to see if I wrote anything to publish here. For now
here is the programme and afterwards a few comments on a book published by the András
Pető College, joint-written and presented at the workshop by Ágnes
Mátyásine Kiss.
PRE-CONGRESS SHORT INFORMATION
COURSE ON AGE AND SYMPTOM SPECIFIC CONDUCTIVE EDUCATION ACCORDING TO PETŐ IN
THE HUNGARIAN PRACTICE
Chair: Adrienn Deák &
Erzsébet Balogh
DEÁK
Adrienn – Welcome
BALOGH,
Erzsébet – Candidates for Cond
Ed. Summary of current knowledge on Cerebral Palsy (origin, nomenclature, classifications,
the roles of medical and alternative professionals)
HORVÁTH,
Júlia – Children with Spasticity
in Cond Ed (incl. symptom specific Cond Ed in Hemiplegia)
- Including:
MÁTYÁSINE KISS, Ágnes - System of Devices to Develop the Mobility
of Children with Motor Disability
- Including:
BALOGH, Erzsébet: About the spasticity, muscle and medical
interventions
BEJCZI, Erika – Cond Ed for infantile
age/babies (incl. School for Parents)
HORVÁTH,
Júlia – Cond Ed at pre-school age
DEÁK, Adrienn – Characteristics of the
Conductive School
Questions and answers – 10’
KLEIN,
Anna & co-workers – Athetosis
- Including:
VARGÁNÉ KISS, Anna - videos –
- Including:
TÓTH SZŐNYI, ZSUZSANNA, HORVÁTH, PETRA - How Conductive Task
Series can be used to facilitate and develop Selfcare Skills for children
with severe Dyskinesis (Athetosis)
HERNÁDI, Éva – BALOGH, Erzsébet Ataxia
-
BIRINYI,
Katalin – Parkinsonians in Cond
Ed (benefits & limitations)
BENYOVSZKY,
Andrea - Children with Spinal
cord lesion and/or Spina bifida
Questions and answers, Pros and
Cons; For/Against Cond Ed
BALOGH, Erzsébet & BENYOVSZKY,
Andrea
System of Devices to Develop the
Mobility of Children with Motor Disability
Presented
at the workshop by Ágnes
Mátyásine Kiss.
This
book is in Hungarian but as many people at the presentation asked about an English
version there may possibly be one in the future. I certainly offered my
assistance with the translation or proof-reading of an English version if it is required.
The
book shows many different pieces of equipment that will be recognizable to most
conductors around the world. There is a description of each item including
measurements, material, size and where it can be sourced. There is also a chart
that gives information on positions in which it can be used, areas of
development that can be helped in tasks using the device, and further suggestions
for specific tasks.
At
the beginning of the book there is information on different types of cerebral
motor dysfunctions and a list of many of the symptoms that can occur. This is
followed by a list of developmental processes that can be improved by walking
tasks.
At
the back of the book there is a list of tasks that can be carried out with no equipment
at all.
Ágnes
explained at the workshop how the types and amounts of equipment available in
different situations and in different countries varies greatly. For example some schools have a well equipped
gym some do not. And a peripatetic conductor could by a set of
items that are small enough to transport and can be used in a huge variety of
tasks.
Congratulations
to Ágnes Mátyásine
Kiss and her colleagues for the production and publication of this book, and thank you for the
interesting presentation.
References
Járásfejlesztő
Eszköztár 2014, published by Mozgassérültek Pető András Nevelőkepző és Nevelőintézete,
ISBN 978-963-87821-2-0
