BOOST School

The method was developed in 1945 by Dr. Adras Peto, physician in Europe, Hungary. Conductive Education is an active, working approach to intervention for adults and children with motor disabilities. It is appropriate for conditions where disease or damage to the central nervous system affects a person’s ability to control movement, such as Cerebral Palsy, spina bifida and head injury.

The goals of Conductive Education are twofold: First, to enable each individual to reach his or her maximum potential for independence and second, for that person to achieve integration into the society and culture to which he/she belongs. It is not a therapy promising a cure. Rather, it is a physical, educational program that helps learners acquire life skills under the tutelage of a dedicated instructor or “Conductor.”

The work of Conductive Education is multidimensional. It includes intense physical exercises to improve weight bearing, strength and agility, and to prevent or reduce contractures. These exercises are carried out using simple wood furniture, primarily plinths and ladder-back chairs, specially designed to encourage grasping, pushing and pulling.

BOOST embraces the Conductive Education vision and applies its intensive program. The children are helped to find their own highest level of independence and control over their environment. Tasks designed to develop purposeful movement are learned and practiced over and over until mastered, then new goals are set. Each child grows cognitively and emotionally as well as gaining physical stability, building the self-esteem and confidence needed to move fully into their mainstream communities.