A growing amount of people are talking about brain issues, from sports concussions to congenital defects. The focus is great, and now new techniques are being discussed that may help victims. One new method is known as NDT (Neurodevelopmental Therapy). This can be used in many kinds of therapy, including therapy for kids with disabilities.
Basically, NDT is a way to look at impairments on a targeted, individual level. Physical therapists use hands-on exercises and the latest machines to guide patients through functional tasks. For instance, consider the case of a child who can't grab a fork might decide she wants to learn. The therapist might guide the patient through lifting the hand, finding the object and seeing its sensation and then picking up its weight. It's baby steps, and guided by touch from the time the session begins until the task is accomplished.
An important part of this NDT method is patient goal-setting. For children with special needs, goals may be set by the parents. For adults dealing with injuries or stroke, the goal could be about balance. Some physical therapists who have used these methods say that the patient's view of their own treatment can make all the difference.
In addition to the fact that sessions are encouraging, NDT truly gets real, powerful results. Physical therapists say their patients need less help and fewer devices and find it easier to get to proper positioning. Improvement is possible in speech, eating, movement and other occupational therapy tasks.
For kids with disabilities, physical therapists can use NDT to help them be less dependent. They can learn to bear their own weight, learning to climb stairs, or even learning to crawl and grasp objects. The best pediatric physical therapists believe that at least a little improvement is within reach of almost everyone, even if they have lifelong conditions such as cerebral palsy.
The research about NDT isn't very exhaustive, but the topic isn't controversial. Many of the studies have been done on relatively small sample sizes, so aren't widely applicable. But the ideas are pretty commonsense and a growing number of physical therapists for kids with special needs and other specialists have adopted its techniques.
If you or a family member struggle with mobility, function or even speech and language, consider finding a autism spectrum disorder San Diego, CA expert in your area.
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