A growing amount of people are talking about brain problems and cures, for everything from football concussions to soldiers returning from the battlefield. The focus is great, and now novel techniques are being discussed that may help victims. One new strategy is known as Neurodevelopmental Therapy (or NDT). This can be used in a variety of therapeutic disciplines, including pediatric physical therapy.
Foundationally, Neurodevelopmental Therapy is a way to look at impairments on a very personal level. Therapists for kids with disabilities use hands-on exercises and advanced equipment to guide patients through tasks. For instance, imagine a boy with neurological problems who can't walk due to the problem might set small goals. One might be moving the feet and balancing using the patient's own muscles. The pediatric physical therapist would guide the child hands-on.
A particularly important part of this Neurodevelopmental Therapy 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 involve walking, standing and more. Some physical therapists who have used these strategies say that a patient's ideas about their treatment is very important.
In addition to the fact that sessions are encouraging, Neurodevelopmental Therapy truly works. People treated with it need less help and fewer devices while achieving an improvement in proper positioning. Goals can be set, and reached, in eating, speech, movement and much more.
For children with disabilities, pediatric physical therapists can use Neurodevelopmental Therapy to help with things that will make these kids less reliant on others for care. They can learn to support themselves, climb stairs, or even crawl or stand. Experts believe that some degree of improvement is realistic for almost any patient, even if they have lifelong conditions such as cerebral palsy.
The body of research on Neurodevelopmental Therapy isn't very thorough, but the topic isn't really being challenged. 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 children and other specialists are trying it.
If you're facing difficult problems with mobility, function or even speech and language, consider finding a aspergers awareness San Diego, CA expert in your area.