More and more attention is being paid to brain problems and cures, for soldiers, athletes and car crash victims. The focus is awesome, and now innovative techniques are becoming available that may help patients. One new strategy is known as Neurodevelopmental Therapy (or NDT). This can be used in occupational, speech, language and physical therapies, including therapy for children with special needs.
Foundationally, NDT is a way to look at issues on a very personal level. Physical therapists use hands-on methods and the latest tools to guide patients through tasks. For example, consider the case of a girl who can't grasp a fork might set a goal to do it. The pediatric therapist might guide the patient through lifting the hand, locating the object and noticing what that's like and then lifting it. It's one step at a time, and guided by touch from beginning to end.
The most valuable part of this NDT method is patient goal-setting. For children with special needs, families play a role. For adults dealing with problems such as TBI and stroke, the goal might be learning to reach to a shelf without support. Some physical therapists who ise 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 works. Professionals in the field report that need fewer assistive devices and less adaptive equipment while achieving an improvement in proper positioning. Gains can be made in eating, speech, movement and much more.
For kids with disabilities, pediatric physical therapists can use NDT to help them have more control. They can learn to support themselves, climb stairs, or even stand up without help. Practitioners of this method believe that some improvement is within reach of almost everyone, even those with severe disabilities.
The body of research on NDT isn't very exhaustive, but the subject isn't hotly contested, either. Many of the research papers were about just a few patients, so aren't widely applicable. 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 function and mobility, consider finding a asperger syndrome San Diego, CA expert for a few sessions.