Something changed

"Me on a bike as always, on the right as always, with Sis!", 1962

One child just happened to be in the "group" alone this week.

School fests, sports days and other summer time obligations keep one or the other of the children busy during these last few summery weeks of the school term.

This is all part and parcel of life and I encourage them all to take part in as much as possible and not to worry about missing "Petö".

When ever possible we all go to whatever is on, but sometimes we end up with only two of us at a conductive session.

It is nice once in a while for clients to have two or three hours of individual attention. It is also good for me to concentrate my attention on the aims and achievements of one person. For once I do not have to have eyes in the back of my head to observe all that goes on.

These intimate times can also bring positive changes to the relationships between clients and conductor.

Here are the notes from the day alone with a littlie:

I had so many of those lovely sort of chats today because he was alone. I somehow wish he came more often alone. He called me by my name so many times something he has never done before. He was so calm and it was a really joyful time despite the heat (37°C). I asked if he would like to relax to some music after he had done some walking, climbing and bench walking, but he answered:

" Perhaps later. Now I should do some more work as I may fall asleep in the heat and not be able to work later".

This is the lad who other professionals thought when he was only four (two years before school) should not go to mainstream school because he would not be able to do maths. This is the lad who is sometimes top of his class in maths!

Later we sat with our feet in buckets of water and made police cars out of philly cheese boxes and wooden beads. He asked: "Have I drawn this well? Do not-disabled children draw a lot better than me?"

I told him that some children do not like to draw and paint, it makes no difference whether they are disabled or not disabled. I told him that because he loves doing it so much and is so creative his pictures always look wonderful. They really do.

I forgot to photograph the police cars!

This time alone really did change things.

When we did some difficult walking tasks he took my hands and placed them near to him to make him feel safe but far enough away that I was not helping him. When he walked out of the room and then to his Mum's car he took hold of my hand squeezed it tight and walked with me a little way.

He has never really taken much notice of me before. He does whatever there is to do, chats non-stop to whoever will listen, or to himself, makes jokes and has fun. Now he is talking directly to me. He is telling me things about school and asking me things about life.

There are other good things about summer apart from the warmth of the sun on my back as I cycle. There are all those fests that provide real life situations for my littlies to practise their conductive living in. The fests that leave me time with the ones left behind! Time in which we can get to know each other and make some changes.