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^F abulous fall une arrives! Fashions hottest season is upon us at By Consignment Everyday we are receiving all the sharpest looks for fall 2002. Come & see us for current classic & comfy styies...you'll never shop retail again! Bv C onsignm ent... n Official Media Sponsor Upscale Resale Ladies Wear · Open 7 days a week m l^lSTrafalgarJtxLiiisiAji^^ Editor: Wilma Blokhuis Phone: 905-845-3824 (ext. 250) Fax: 905-337-5567 e-mail: blokhuis@haltonsearch.com Learning to walk Conductive Education improves boy' s mobility By Wilma Blokhuis BEAVER FOCUS EDITOR Glenn and Sandra McGillivray are looking for ward to a day they can let go of their four-and-ahalf-year old son Spencer and watch him walk across a room. Whenever they put on his small ankle braces and a pair of running shoes, Spencer is eager to stand up and walk using his walker. He does his exercises with little coaxing. And, he loves to stand up and play. At times, when his mind is concentrating on something else, Spencer stands without support. His parents are hopeful Spencer will gain mobil ity and become more independent through Conductive Education. Since Spencer began his mobility training last year, he's gained strength and confidence. Bom with cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia, his muscles are weak, especially in his trunk area. "A year ago he couldn't stand up," said his mother. "There's a chance he may walk." Spencer has completed three month-long inten sive Conductive Education programs, and has not only gained strength, "but he's also more sociable and talkative." And, other exercises have opened Spencer's clenched hands, enabling him to play with things he couldn't pick up a year ago with his small fin gers. Conductive Education offers a variety of stretching, bending, sitting, standing and walking exercises designed to loosen and strengthen the muscles. "The program is individualized for each child," explained Sandra, "depending on their strengths and weaknesses. For example, Spencer had mouth exercises to improve his speech and articulation." Although some specialized equipment is used in Conductive Education, such as a ladder back chair for standing and sitting and a floor ladder to guide placement of the feet, the key is a "specialized approach to teaching that effectively teaches the person, or child, to discover movement and to apply that to all areas of life to make them more independent," explained Lisa Gombinsky, Lead Conductor with the Ontario March of Dimes, which provides the program. "You can teach Conductive Education without equipment." Hence, equipment is used depending on individual needs. "I first heard about Conductive Education from Spencer's occupational therapist, but felt at the time he wasn't ready," said Sandra, adding he went for his first month-long session in Toronto last sum- Jamie Smith · Oakville Beaver Sandra McGillivray coaches her 4 1/2-year-old son, Spencer, who has cerebral palsy, to walk using his walker and a floor ladder. He wears small braces to support his weak ankles. mer. His second session was at Ability Camp in Picton in the spring, followed by a month in Toronto. "Spencer has gained a lot of confidence, and he wants to do more and more. It has increased his bal ance and his endurance quite a bit." At first he would tire after half an hour of exer cise, "but now he can handle several hours," said Sandra, adding Conductive Education is a day-long commitment involving his every activity including eating. "He wants to feed himself and we have to keep reminding (and positioning) him to sit up straight with his heels the right way and his feet flat." Spencer is rapidly catching up to his little sister, 11-month-old Samantha, in his development. He was diagnosed at nine months, explained Sandra. "Spencer was a twin, but at 20 weeks, I had an ultrasound done and discovered the second twin had died." The twin boy could not be removed "because both were in the same sac. I had to carry both to full term. We believe Spencer was infected by the other twin." Conductive Education, a holistic approach to learning that benefits both children and adults with mobility impairment, was first developed in Budapest, Hungary, by Dr. Andras Peto, a physi cian interested in rehabilitation. It helps children with cerebral palsy, spina bifida and brain injuries, and adults with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, stroke and brain injuries. The Ontario March of Dimes became aware of Conductive Education in 1990. Three years later, it helped parents organize Positive Action for Conductive Education (PACE) to promote, develop and deliver the program. It piloted Conductive Education for adult stroke survivors in 1995 as a three-week research project, and followed up with a second nine-week program for stroke survivors and adults with multiple scle rosis. This year, the March of Dimes took over the teaching of Conductive Education from PACE, and will begin offering the program year round in October at its provincial headquarters at 10 Overlea Blvd., in Toronto. PACE will continue as parent chapters supporting the program. The success of Conductive Education varies from individual to individual, depending on ability levels and motivation, explained Gombinsky. "Everybody in our classes learns something and has some improvement," she said. "However, the success rate is absolutely variable." Class sizes are based on a ratio of 3 students to one conductor for children, and 5 to 1 for adults. For more information, call the Ontario March of Dimes at 416-425-3463 and ask for Lisa Gombinsky at Ext. 228 or Karrie Callaghan at Ext. 256. There is a fee for Conductive Education. Registration for the October session is full, but applications will be accepted for January 2003. Labour Day Events -- at Bronte Creek-- August 3 1 - Sept. 2 - Honey Bee Festival Nature Centre Parking L o t C 12 noon - 4 pm Do bees really die after they sting you? What does a Queen Bee look like? Let the Beekeeper answer these questions and more. See Beekeeping tools and a honey extraction demonstration. Fresh, pure honey for sale. RNE OUTERWEAR SINCE 1815 f) o m i n i < : i. I. I K EV ERSi B E E S H f c A R tis r . PA R K S Bronte Creek (905) 827-6911 or www.ontarioparks.com 209 Lakes ho re Road East, qwntown Oakville r id K gfats- west o f Trafalgar) hr 9 0 5 -8 4 5 -2 0 % ! For more information call