New NDT Method Shows Promise

A growing amount of attention is being paid to brain problems and cures, for soldiers, athletes and car crash victims. The attention is fabulous, and now novel methods are coming to the fore that may help patients. One new method is known as Neurodevelopmental Therapy (or NDT). This can be used in occupational, speech, language and physical therapies, including pediatric physical therapy.

At its core, NDT is a way to look at impairments on a targeted, individual level. Physical therapists use hands-on treatments and the latest tools to guide patients through activities. For instance, think of a kid who can't manipulate a fork might decide she wants to learn. The physical therapist might guide the kid through picking up the hand, locating the object and recognizing how it feels and then using the fingers and thumb to grab. It's all step by step, and hands-on from the time the session begins until the task is accomplished.

A particularly important part of this NDT method is patient goal-setting. In the case of children, goals may be set by the parents. For grown-ups dealing with injuries or stroke, the goal could be about balance. Elite physical therapists who have used these methods say that each patient's ideas about their treatment makes a huge difference in their healing processes.

In addition to feeling like it's working, NDT truly works. Patients might need fewer supports and find it easier to get to proper positioning. Improvement is possible in a variety of functions.

For kids with special needs, physical therapists can use NDT to help them have more control. This can include learning to support oneself, maneuver stairs, or even stand up without help. The best pediatric physical therapists believe that at least a little improvement is within reach of almost everyone, even those with severe disabilities.

The research about NDT isn't very thorough, but the topic isn't controversial. Many of the studies have been done on just a few patients, so aren't widely applicable. But it all makes sense and a growing number of pediatric physical therapists and other specialists have adopted its techniques.

If you're facing difficult problems with function and mobility, consider finding a autism symptoms in toddlers San Diego CA expert for a few sessions.