The Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy provides a specialist service for families of young children with motor learning difficulties (problems with movement). The unique approach of its two schools is grounded in the principles of Conductive Education and aims to increase the confidence of both parent and child by practising daily living skills in a way that is both fun and stimulating.
From young babies to children aged five, the school caters for a wide age range and has perfected the art of tailoring activities to meet each child's individual requirements, encouraging each and every pupil to reach their maximum potential.
The Trust's schools are located in West Sussex and Suffolk, but more than 80 families travel from Sussex, Kent, Surrey, Essex, Middlesex, Berkshire, Suffolk and the London boroughs to attend the sessions.
HOLISTIC EDUCATION
A highly skilled and professional team uses a combination of conductive education and play to provide a holistic form of education designed to stimulate the child's senses and encourage self-awareness. Parents are an integral part of each session and are taught to recognise their child's unique qualities and achievements.
Each session incorporates activities and experiences that promote physical, social, emotional and cognitive development and strengthen the bond between parent and child. These are incorporated into a mixture of play, songs, drama, movement and creative activities that all centre around a particular topic, creating fun and interesting sessions, while the high ratio of staff to pupils ensures that every activity is tailored to children's individual needs. Each session ends with staff praising each child's achievements. This is hugely beneficial to the child, but also to parents as it serves as a reminder of the progress their child is making.
A typical exercise used with preschool and children unable to walk is 'bridging' - that is, lying flat and raising the bottom off the floor - and is done to the tune of 'London Bridge'. Spending a lot of time in a lying or seated position causes the hamstring and hip flexor muscles to tighten, and eventually leaves the child unable to straighten their legs fully. As well as helping with bone and muscle development, 'bridging' also stretches out the internal organs and aids breathing and digestion.
Another song used with many of the children is 'The wobblyman'. Here the children sit on the floor with their legs outstretched and are helped to rock from side to side and to use their hands to push down and support their weight through their hands, wrists and arms. For the children it is simply a fun song, but the exercise, in fact, shows them a way of saving themselves from falling sideways when they stretch out, teaches them how to transfer their weight from one leg and hip to the other and strengthens the core muscles, giving them more stability.
In addition to the support provided to the children, there is a great deal of emphasis placed on supporting parents. The Trust recognises that parents of disabled children can sometimes feel isolated and as such aims to provide a supportive and understanding community where parents are able to share experiences and advice.
The Trust offers all of its services completely free of charge and receives no statutory funding. Instead, it relies entirely on charitable donations and the support of the local communities to raise the £650,000 needed to provide a vital and highly specialised service.
CONDUCTIVE EDUCATION
Conductive education was pioneered in Hungary in the late 1940s by Dr Andras Pet in the Institute and College that now bears his name. He developed the teaching system to enable more children to be included in mainstream schools. It is:
- a complex approach to educating children with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, spina bifida or any condition affecting the acquisition of motor skills
- a holistic approach concerned with the children's physical, social, emotional, cognitive and spiritual development
- a programme focused on the children, not their disabilities.
Play is of fundamental importance within conductive education. It is through structured play that children learn a wide range of skills and are motivated to do things for themselves.
Some research has shown that conductive education helps around 80 per cent of children with motor dysfunctions. Aspects have been used by some British therapists for more than 20 years and in some instances, for treating people who have had a stroke or suffer from Parkinson's disease.
PRIMARY MOTIVATORS
The strength of this type of education is that the parents/carers are a primary focus of the sessions, and at the DVLT, we have always recognised that parents are the primary motivators of the young child.
Working collaboratively with parents increases the effectiveness of intervention by promoting the child's development, but also it helps to increase parents' confidence in their own knowledge and abilities. The Trust aims to empower parents by developing their skills and confidence in identifying and addressing their own child's needs and achievements.
Parents also have needs, such as coming to terms with the diagnosis, and these have to be addressed if the family is to function well. The DVLT offers the opportunity for parents to support each other in dealing with the challenges and issues involved in having a child with disabilities.
We incorporate all aspects of the child's learning right across the curriculum. Parents/carers work with their child using toys, games and songs to make the tasks fun. The important thing is that they are involved together in the learning process and everything that is done in the classroom is closely related to what they would do in the home.
CASE STUDY
Hayley, mother to 18-month-old Elliott, explains her experience of the Trust:
'Before I came to the school I felt very isolated and mostly stayed at home with the children as there were no groups in the area where I could take Elliot.
'Attending the weekly sessions has enabled me to meet other parents in a similar position. The school provides a volunteer who cares for Elliot's twin sister while I support him in the session.
'Physically, Elliot's stiffness has been reduced and his range of movement improved. Each child is different and the staff ensure that the session is tailored to meet Elliot's individual needs with one- toone support.
'There have been many special moments during our time at the school but the one that stands out for me is when I realised that Elliot was actively interacting with other children in his group. Watching his reaction to others and seeing him smiling at the other children was very special.
'The staff are extremely supportive and have helped with so many aspects of our day-to-day life, from ideas for equipment we can use at home to advice on who to contact in different situations. It is so easy to talk to the staff knowing that they have the experience, knowledge and understanding of what your family is going through.
'It is inspirational to know that some of the staff attended the school as parents themselves and are using their experience to help other families. There is nothing that comes close to the support that the Trust has given Elliot. Without the service children like Elliot wouldn't get the chance to develop and become more independent.
'As soon as you enter the building you know it is a very special place and if we were not able to come I wouldn't know what to do.'
MORE INFORMATION
Dame Vera Lynn Trust, www.dvlt.org.uk