Abstract

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the developmental gains of 26 young children with cerebral palsy and three children with other disorders attending early intervention based on the principles of conductive education (NZCE) or community-based (CB). Conductive education was implemented by parents supervised by a conductor an average of 7.4 hours per week. Developmental skills were objectively measured in functional contexts at home and school before the child entered the programme and after 12 months. Skill gains by children with spastic quadriplegia, cerebral palsy and severe developmental delay who were not able to sit independently (n = 6) who participated in NZCE were significantly greater (p < 0.001) than skill gains by children with similar disabilities who participated in CB (n = 6). Children with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, severe developmental delay, epilepsy and sensory disabilities (n = 7) also achieved significant gains in functional skills in NZCE (p < 0.005). Conductive education may benefit young children with motor dysfunction as well as concomitant disorders and severe developmental delay. Gains were not related to intensity, age, or a product of maturation, but may be related to changed patterns of maternal-child interactions.