Article published Tuesday, March 1, 2011 by the Northwest Signal

Wauseon – Sara’s Garden recently spread awareness for Conductive Education, which teaches individuals with neuromotor disabilities to be able to adapt to and function in their environment.

National Conductive Education Day was Thursday, and Sara’s Garden offered the community an opportunity to learn about the program and observe a session in progress.

Conductor-Teacher Kasey C. Gray explained Sara’s Garden was inspired by Sara and Jay Burkholder and specializes in both Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Conductive Education. On March 15, 2002, Sara gave birth to the couple’s first child, and Jackson was delivered by emergency cesarean section. Sara passed away several hours later, and Jackson was diagnosed with cerebral palsy due to lack of oxygen during the delivery.

As his family worked together to locate alternate options to help Jackson despite being told he would not improve, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Conductive Education were discovered. However, these treatments were not offered locally, so the family founded the center so services would be available locally.

Gray explained there are 30 Conductive Education centers in the Association for Conductive Education in North America. The program works for those with motor skill disorders such as cerebral palsy but can also be beneficial for those with spina bifida, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, stroke and traumatic brain injury.

“We focus on the whole person, not just the symptoms of the disorder,” she said, adding the goal is to increase independence through self-care skills such as eating and going to the bathroom, social and emotional skills to interact more with others and verbalize and fine motor skills.

Conductive Education was first developed in Hungary, and there are only four places – Hungary, Israel, the United Kingdom and Grand Rapids, Mich., at Aquinas College – which train the technique. Gray attended Aquinas and she is also an elementary teacher and intervention specialist in addition to being trained in Conductive Education.

There is currently an after-school program offered at Sara’s Garden with the assistance of a 21st Century Grant through Wauseon Schools, but enrollment is not limited to only Wauseon students. The grant covers tuition and paraprofessionals to assist during the program.

There are typically three to five in attendance at the program, which meets four days a week for two hours a day. When the students arrive, they eat a snack, go to the bathroom and participate in a lying program, where ambulatory skills such as rolling over, sitting up and using their arms are emphasized. From there, they break off into smaller groups such as actions in the sitting position, bending and stretching elbows, improving feet movements and participating in a standing program.

“They are daily routines, but it evolves with them as they improve,” Gray noted.

The current morning session includes two children between 3-4 years old who meet three days during the week. Their routine includes using a plinth table, which has slats to allow gripping because it is difficult for many to do so on a flat surface, rolling over, sitting up and working on eating skills and potty training, as well as standing and sitting programs.

Additional programming, including for adults, is available upon request.

Several parents have recoded testimonials to how the treatments have helped their children improve beyond their expectations. For example, one mother noted an exercise where the arm is lifted over the head leads to the practical use of being able to brush hair and put on a shirt.

“We want to get the word out,” she said. “We hope more people will have access to what we’re doing.”

The nonprofit organization is funded by donations, grants and fees charged by services.

“That helps us keep our heads above the water,” Gray explained of the fees.

Various fundraisers are held throughout the year, and the Eighth Annual Sara’s Garden Poker Run is set for June 4, with all proceeds going to the center.