EVALUATION OF AN EARLY-CHILDHOOD PROGRAM BASED ON PRINCIPLES OF CONDUCTIVE EDUCATION - THE YOORALLA PROJECT

Objective: To perform an objective evaluation of a programme based on conductive education (CE) for preschool and early school-aged children with cerebral palsy. Methodology: The progress of 17 children partici pating in a CE-based programme (the Yooralla programme) was compared w ith 17 children enrolled in traditional early childhood services. Vide otapes of the children performing items from the Vulpe Assessment Batt ery (VAB) were scored by assessors blind to the treatment group; three standardized tests of cognitive ability were administered; and the qu estionnaire on resources and stress (QRS-F) was given to the primary c aregiver at the beginning and conclusion of 6 months. Results: The Yoo ralla group improved in motor performance and parental coping variable s. Both groups showed improvement on the cognitive measures, with the control group demonstrating slightly greater gains. Conclusions: Condu ctive education may benefit the motor development of children with cer ebral palsy and provide greater parental support A randomized control study with adequate subject numbers is necessary to confirm this tenta tive conclusion.