New techniques are great for treating developmental and functional problems, including injuries, congenital deficiencies and other kinds of neuro-atypical. Sadly, physical therapists who use these ideas can be tough to find. The emerging method is neurodevelopmental therapy, or NDT.
Basically, NDT is a way to look at issues on a targeted, individual level. Pediatric physical therapists use hands-on methods and high-tech tools to teach tasks. For example, think of a kid who can't grasp a fork might have that goal. The physical therapist might guide the child through lifting the hand, reaching for the object and seeing how it feels and then using the fingers and thumb to grab. It's one step at a time, and involves touch from start to finish.
The most valuable part of this NDT method is patient goal-setting. For kids with disabilities, families play a role. For grown-ups dealing with issues like stroke or TIB, the goal could be about balance. Elite physical therapists who try these strategies say that a patient's view of their own treatment can make all the difference.
Beyond the intuitive sense that it works, NDT truly works. People treated with it need fewer assistive devices and less adaptive equipment and improve at proper positioning. Gains can be made in speech, eating, movement and other occupational therapy tasks.
For kids with special needs, physical therapists can use NDT to help them have more control. This can include learning to support oneself, learning to climb stairs, or even crawl or stand. Experts believe that some degree of improvement is within reach of almost everyone, even those with the most serious conditions.
The body of research on NDT isn't very extensive, but the topic isn't hotly contested, either. Many of the research papers were about small groups of patients, so aren't widely generalizable. But the ideas are pretty commonsense and a growing number of physical therapists for children and other specialists are starting to use it.
If you need help with mobility, function or even speech and language, consider finding a autism spectrum disorder San Diego, CA expert for a few sessions.
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