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How does Conductive Education work?
Appropriate candidates for Conductive Education
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**This year we are happy to announce that the Center for Independence is hosting the Association of Conductive Education in North America (ACENA) conference this year in Chicago. It will be held at the Rehab Institute of Chicago on August 28th and 29th, 2008. We hope to see you all there. If you would like more information please call Patti Herbst. Our Mission The mission of our program is to help children with profound physical disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, gain physical independence. We do this by developing their motor functions in a manner that creates positive self-esteem and self-direction. All of our children are taught that they are valued; that each child is important and can give back to society regardless of his/her disability.
Company ProfileHistory and Overview: The Center for
Independence began in 1997 as a parent-directed group offering summer camps to
children with motor disabilities. These
camps utilized Conductive Education, a unique learning technique, to achieve
dramatic results in the children’s physical and social abilities. Conductive Education teaches children with physical
disabilities how to be independent through the use of an intensive group motor
training program. Group education
has achieved remarkable results compared to conventional one-on-one therapies by
providing peer interaction, competition, and support that builds a strong
foundation of encouragement, motivation, and confidence. Upon its founding, the
Center was among one of the first groups offering Conductive Education classes
in Illinois. The Center is
completely unique in that we are the only program in Illinois offering
year-round Conductive Education programming to school-age children.
Our transdisciplinary team is one of only three programs in the United
States to successfully incorporate occupational and physical therapists into a
model of Conductive Education teachers. The
Center is the only program in the Chicagoland area offering group motor
training, in a summer camp format, to children with physical disabilities. Our programs operate at incredibly efficient levels, as reflected in our audited Financial Statements for the year ending December 31, 2006. Over 1/3 of our children receive some form of financial assistance to ensure full participation in our program. Please help us teach children skills that will last a lifetime. Make a donation to the Center for Independence through Conductive Education. The
Center for Independence is an Illinois Not-For-Profit Corporation under section
501 (c) (3) of the Illinois Revenue Code.
What do we do? How do we do it? Who do we serve?The Center's program is based on a school of thought called Conductive Education, which is a unified system of education for people with motor disorders. Many of the children are diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Conductive Education recognizes the fact that a damaged brain requires a commitment of significant time and repetition in order to learn new pathways, just as we recognize that children need several hours a day geared toward academic studies. The Center provides intensive group motor training programs based on the principles of Conductive Education. Our transdisciplinary team of physical and occupational therapists and conductive education teachers (individuals who have 4 year degree in education specific to conductive education) teach children with physical disabilities functional activities like how to eat, dress, sit, walk, and toilet themselves in order to maximize their independence. The cost-efficient, time effective group format of Conductive Education provides peer interaction, competition and support, which build a strong foundation of encouragement, motivation, and confidence. Each child is provided with individualized treatment plans carried out in a group setting. Working in cooperation with various local school districts, the Center's program offers a one month on, one month off rotation schedule for school age children. The children are able to attend the Center five days a week for 3 hour sessions during that one month period. Scheduling of primary or core academic classes is usually performed in morning hours, prior to attendance at the Center in the afternoons. The Center believes that children with physical disabilities deserve to be educated in both academic and life skills - one without the other does not develop the whole child. Children with physical disabilities are complex and deserve a complex education.
Contact Information
Center For
Independence
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