The Sunshine State

"Why are you going to Florida after Ellie's surgery?"

This is a question I've been asked several times, and I seldom feel as if I have the time to provide a decent answer.  So, here goes...

Ellie will be attending classes at the Conductive Education Center of Orlando, four hours at a time, five days per week.  She will also be seen by a private physical therapist and occupational therapist (starting at 3 times per week, but then decreasing to once per week as we ramp up the Conductive Education classes).

The obvious next question is, "What in the world is conductive education?"

In a nutshell, CE (Conductive Ed) is a life-changer.  Ellie started attending CE classes at The Movement Centre as soon as we moved back to Canada, when she wasn't yet 2 years old.  On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, Ellie gets to hang out with her boyfriends (she's the only girl in class!) and Conductors (the teacher/therapist), while she learns how to reach her very highest physical and cognitive potential.  Each child has a one-on-one assistant, helping them with the different tasks--stretching, rolling over, sitting up, manipulating objects (toys), dressing, eating, walking (with canes!), sitting, and a hundred other activities.  CE is different from traditional physical therapy because it focuses also on daily living tasks and education.  I'll steal the synopsis from the Orlando center's home page:

Conductive Education is an intensive, multi-disciplinary approach to education for children with motor disabilities; it combines educational lesson plans with physical activities. In our program, children with cerebral palsy repeat tasks and movements on a daily basis, allowing their brains to find alternative paths to create desired movements like sitting, standing, walking and self feeding.  Conductive Education is based on the theory that the central nervous system in children with motor disabilities has the capacity to form new neural connections, despite neurological damage. Conductive Education has the potential to help a child with motor disabilities achieve new movements and greater independence.

I can hardly speak of our local Conductor without tearing up and getting all mushy.  We love her and she has not only helped Ellie, but has been a rock for Richard and me.  She constantly reminds me that Ellie's potential is endless and gently encourages us to push Ellie to the next level.  She (and our "traditional" physical therapist--another person we adore) suggested we look into a CE program for Ellie's rehab.  The staff at The Movement Centre recommended Orlando, and, from there, everything seemed to fall into place perfectly.

While our local Conductor and physical therapist would love to be a part of Ellie's post-op rehab this winter and spring, they are unable to provide the frequency of appointments we need.  Because of staffing and funding limitations, we would only be able to attend sessions twice per week.  That's not enough.  It's the rehab that's going to maximize the benefits of Ellie's surgery, so we want her to get as much of it as possible.

So, off to Florida we go!  Richard already telecommutes, so he can work from anywhere.  Regardless of rehab location, I had to take a 6-month leave of absence from my job in order to care for and chauffeur Ellie.  So, it was the perfect opportunity to "go for it" and head down south for some major rehab.  Our local CE center offers "Summer Camp" (5 sessions per week, 4-5 hours per day) in July and August, so as soon as we get back home from Florida, we'll continue the rigorous schedule at home.  That should bring us to the 6-month post-op mark, when therapy frequency can decrease (just in time for Kindergarten, oh my!).

And, there you have it.  A "simple" long-winded, Chrystie-answer to your question!

(Here are a couple of pictures of Ellie at The Movement Centre.  I'd post more, but it's really difficult to find pictures of "just Ellie", as her CE is done in a group setting.  I don't want to overstep any privacy boundaries!)