Pre-congress Budapest

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 9^th 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 9^th 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