DIANE MAKAR MURPHY Grateful mom shares miracle of conductive education

Would you call it a miracle if your 4-year-old daughter sat unassisted? Probably not, but Tracey Tatar would. When her daughter Brittany, born with cerebral palsy, sat on her own after conductive education in Cleveland, it was a miracle to Tracey.
It is the New Middletown resident's goal to bring miracles to other muscle-impaired children in our area.
"Conductive-trained teachers, all of whom so far have been trained in Hungary, have a B.A. in education, plus training in occupational, speech and physical therapy," Tracey explained. "You're talking about handicapped children who need all these specialists."
Rather than trying to coordinate (and pay for) several professionals, conductive education uses one "conductor" with the goal of helping a child function physically, socially, emotionally and psychologically.
Brittany was born eight weeks premature. Though she survived at just 2 pounds, 9 ounces -- "the size of a Beanie Baby," her mom says -- her twin died. By 8 months, Tracey, her husband, Ted, and other daughter Tiffany all knew something was wrong. Brittany was "tight and rigid"; she had cerebral palsy.
Rejoicing in progress
"She's crawling on the ground now," Tracey said of her daughter today. "She wants to do everything. She loves to brush her teeth." These are the simple, yet monumental, achievements that two weeks of conductive education and her parents' follow-up have produced.
"She said a three-word sentence the other day," Tracey said. "Baby steps."
At first, Tracey was skeptical. When other parents talked about conductive education, they named nothing new. "I said, 'This is just what our occupational, physical and speech therapists are already doing.' But the parents said it was so great. We took Brittany [to a session] for two weeks, a year ago. It was amazing."
For one thing, before the conductive education, Brittany always favored her left side. It was so dominant she was developing scoliosis, or curvature of the spine. Conductors encourage "students" to stand up straight and do it alone. "They don't believe in wheelchairs or walkers," Tracey said, showing a wide wooden "ladder" with long feet that children are encouraged to hold and push along.
The first day of class, a conductor asked Tracey, "Do you always sit behind [Brittany] like that?"
"'Yes,' I said. I thought I had to. But I moved and she sat by herself," Tracey said. "I was making my daughter handicapped. I thought, she can't move from the couch to the floor, so you have to move her. I was wrong. ... It's all about training your body to behave properly."
According to Tracey, the emphasis on walking with the ladder often eliminates the need for heel cord surgeries. Music and songs encourage children to participate. Potty training, stretching, self-feeding and grouping as to skills are all part of the process. When the Tatars' conductive education session ended, they brought their new knowledge back home with them.
Pilot program
Tracey also set about bringing conductive education to Youngstown for other children. This summer, she will launch a six-week summer pilot program through her new nonprofit organization, "Miracles Unlimited." A conductor is scheduled to come from Hungary, and children are already signed up to attend.
"Participating is an eye-opening experience for parents," she said. "After that, you can't just send them to school. One hour a week of therapy and a half-hour at school a week is not enough."
"My goal is to get involved with the school system and bring conductive education there," she said.
Only one college outside Europe offers conductive education -- Aquinas College in Michigan. In 2005, its first group -- 15 students -- will graduate. In her dreams, Tracey would like to see the degree offered at Youngstown State, Westminster or Kent State.
"My board of directors tells me, 'Baby steps,'" Tracey said.
That's OK. Baby steps are something she has learned to be happy with.
XIf you are interested in getting involved with Miracles Unlimited, or in making a donation, call Tracey at (330) 542-2854 or e-mail her at miraclesunltd@cs.com.
murphy@vindy.com