Stories and Quotes

During our long working experience, we have come accross many rewarding encounters. We have collected a couple of quotations and stories for you, which we hope will support your view on conductive pedagogy.

Success Stories and “Quotes”

The “we can” stories from our partner ACENA in North America show their successful children and young people!

Source: https://vimeo.com/centerforindependence

Conductor Rita Simon is one of the professionals working at PTØ Gardermoen. She has been working as a conductor since 2012.  The last four years she has been in Norway with PTØ and before that she worked in Brazil, England and the USA.

Rita is a dedicated professional who engages in PTØs participants.  She says the following about her work: “I enjoy seeing the participants work towards their goals.  The happiness they display when they can do something independently or with less help is unforgettable.  It is something we all can learn from.  A sense of achievement can boost your self esteem and the experiences gained can help to solve other challenges faced in daily life.  I also think it is great to see how the participants’ relationships with each other evolve over time. The group provides unique opportunities to learn from one another and develop important life skills and friendships.  Having friends and positive relations are some of life’s greatest pleasures”.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/123218567734520/posts/3711561315566876/?d=n

“… until the age of three, my child was unable to stand by himself. With the help of Conductive Education, he started practicing to walk with a walking frame, moved then to 3-point sticks and at the age of six, started to walk unaided. He has become a beautiful young man using public transport without any aids or assistance, living a happy and independent life. A miracle! …”

Anonymous, mother of a child with CP

Lars Mullback made a film about his success with Conductive Education:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=V0UEAbpcd7k

Source: Lars Mullback

“The nice thing about Conductive Education is working in a group. The children motivate each other and the progress made leaves me speechless again and again! One of my key experiences in the six months I was in Australia was when a girl managed to walk on her own without having to hold on to a trolley or something like that. Such successes remind me over and over of what Conductive Education can help people to achieve.
I also like the complexity of the programs and the fact that every single movement is well-thought-out and full of meaning, while at the same time being playfully communicated to the children.
The problem of conductive promotion in Australia, as in Germany, is the lack of awareness. But this is what the school, various associations and, of course, the parents of the kids are working on. After my studies, I would like to continue working in the conductive field and work on making it better known.”

Franziska H., 21, EVHN Student

“Joseph is coming out of a long sleep, like a hedgehog that’s been in hibernation”.
5-year-old Joseph Horsley had been virtually written-off by his doctors. He was probably blind. He couldn’t sit, talk or do anything for himself. Joseph is a spastic quadriplegic. His parents were told to have another baby if they wanted to enjoy the pleasures of parenthood. Now his doctors say he will walk and eventually talk. But they are not the same doctors. This remarkable transformation has taken place not in England, but behind the Iron Curtain – in Hungary – by a method known as Conductive Education. It is a system beyond the reach of Britain’s 10,000 cerebral palsied.”

This documentary film tells the story of the Horsley family’s flight to Hungary, and their appeal to the Petö Institute to accept their son for treatment.

BBC documentary in 1986 “Standing Up for Joe”
A British boy with cerebral palsy who attended the Petö Institute in Hungary.

“On reading your report, we wanted to feedback the following: An outstanding report which clearly demonstrates the differences the project has made to the children’s motor skills and communication, while also allowing them to have more fun. The parents’ overwhelmingly positive feedback is a testament to this. The case-study was heart-warming to read, and while our focus at Children in Need is on the young people, it is clear what a positive impact you are having on the parents/carers lives too, and helping to reduce the isolation the whole family must feel before joining the groups.”

Inspired by the Principals and Practices of CE
Source: www.footprints.org

“I was amazed at everything, … We saw progress in her confidence, and her physical abilities improved with her confidence… Now she feels she is part of the family”.

Stephanie R., mother of a child with CP
Source: www.conductive-world.info

„We are visiting the Petö-Institut since February“ , Klara S. says during the break. The yound mother of child Boldizsar talks about her son: „He was only a week old when the carer recognised the damage“. The child did not want to move, his musles were very stiff. „And then we came here.“ The yound mother from Budapest is very happy because she realises the approvement in her child: „The development is huge. Boldizsar moves already like other children at his age“. 

Klara S., mother of a disabled son
Source: www.ard-wien.de

“Amelie’s development has improved, more independent sitting, eating and drinking. … To watch Amelie push up to stand, lift her leg to step, hold her spoon takes my breath away. … My heart was touched with joy when I saw Amelie sit to stand”

Family of Amelie B.
Source: www.villarealschool.co.uk

Rózsa’s Story (42 years old): “Believe in Ourselves and That We Are Capable”

My name is Rózsa Gergely. From 1989 to 1997, I was a resident student at the Pető Institute (now: Semmelweis University Pető András Conductive Practice Primary School and Boarding School). From the very first moment, I was embraced by a loving environment.

What I am most grateful for is that I got a “family from Conductive Education.”

During those eight years, I learned all the essential skills I needed to cope with daily challenges. Now I live in Budapest with my family, including my nineteen-year-old son. I work as an administrator for a company that employs individuals with disabilities.
A few days ago, I received a great honor. One of my beloved conductors invited me to speak to the students at the Semmelweis University Conductive Practice Vocational School, sharing my experiences and insights about life outside. I gladly accepted the kind invitation for this motivational speech. They welcomed me warmly. Seeing the sparkles in the eyes of the younger CE students was a great experience. I do hope I could help present generation of CE students with some useful advice how to carry on after the protective boarding school life.

My encounter with Conductive Education began when I was one year old. I could stand but couldn’t put my feet flat on the ground, only standing on tiptoe. My grandparents took me to the Orthopedic Clinic on Karolina Street. The initial examinations confirmed that I would need several orthopedic surgeries to be able to walk. At the Orthopedic Clinic doctors recommended the Pető Institute (now: Pető András Conductive Practice Primary School) and Conductive Education to us. I became a student at the institution when I was seven years old.

As a resident student, I participated daily in the sessions, which I enjoyed very much. My favorite part was practicing independent walking outside the building.
For me, Conductive Education — the Pető method — is a kind of guidance, a help to perform as many everyday tasks as independently as possible. What I learned here fundamentally changed my life. As my mobility improved thanks to the Conductive Program, it gave me more freedom, and it still does up to this day. I benefit from what I had learned at the institution on a daily basis. For example, when I go to work or complete daily routines. My primary goal is to maintain the current level of mobility in long the run and those skills I mastered through Conductive Education.

What did I need to achieve all this? I believe the first big step is self-acceptance. Everything starts from there. There’s no formula for it, and the time it takes varies for each person. I’ve found that growing up in a loving environment makes it much easier. But attitude also plays a huge role. Diligence, perseverance, determination, and, most importantly, belief in ourselves and our abilities are crucial. How we can apply what we’ve learned also matters greatly.

My future plans include completing a logistics course and spending as much quality time as possible with my family, while also maintaining close relationships with the people and conductors at the Pető Institute who are so dear to me.
My ideal vision of the world is one where everyone can live in conditions and at a standard that meets their needs without difficulties — a world where people show more respect, empathy, and willingness to help one another.

My motivational message to future professionals: Finally, I’d like to say that if any young person at eighteen feels drawn to the world of working with people with disabilities, they shouldn’t hesitate to choose this path, the profession of a conductor, as it is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling careers. Both the conductor and the child gain so much from the experience.
I say this with joy, based on my own experiences.