Conductive Education Southland Charitable Trust is a parent driven non-profit organisation. We are an early childhood centre with the following purposes.

• Providing programmes for children with physical disabilities and developmental delay to encourage independence and wellbeing.
• Providing ongoing support to families whose child/children can require 24 hour care.
• Teaching families how to live with a disability while still living themselves.
• Providing families with information to enable them to access services to benefit their child/children.
• To listen and understand the many ups and downs families encounter when living with a child with disabilities – and to support them.

What is Conductive Education?
Conductive Education is an education programme for people with motor disorders such as cerebral palsy. Cerebral Palsy is caused by damage to the maturing brain at or near birth or up to 2 years of age. C.E is also used to rehabilitate children with spina bifida, and adults suffering from Parkinson’s disease, head injuries, multiple sclerosis and stroke patients. Because of a childs motor disorder, he or she may be unable to sit, stand or walk or to balance or to use their arms and hands for manipulation.

Conductive Education aims to help people overcome their disabilities and in turn reach their maximum potential.The level attained will be different for each individual and must be seem in the light of the difficulties faced. Conductive Education focused on the person as a whole. It aims to improve all areas of development including emotional, social, communication, fine motor and gross motor skills (i.e small and large movements).

Conductive Education breaks tasks down into small achievable steps, putting all the steps together until the child is able to complete the task. Parents are taught how to facilitate their child – give the child help too early and it takes away the opportunity for the child to achieve himself/herself – give the help too late and the child will have given up on the attempt.

Daily living skills are a very important component of Conductive Education worldwide with toileting, feeding, brushing teeth etc. all being part of the daily programme. Children are given time to achieve and use the skills they learn at every opportunity. Conductive Education is a positive lifestyle for children and adults with motor disabilities and their families.