Neuro Developmental Therapy(NDT) may be a hands-on treatment approach employed by physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists. NDT was developed to reinforce the function of adults and youngsters who have difficulty controlling movement as a result of neurological challenges, like spastic paralysis, stroke, and head injury.
This therapy uses guided or facilitated movements as a treatment strategy to form sure correlation of input from tactile, vestibular, and somatosensory receptors within the body.
Neuro-Developmental Therapy was developed with the understanding that patients with brain injuries have a limited repertoire of movement patterns. During treatment interventions, repeated experience in movement ensures that a specific pattern is quickly accessible for motor performance. The more a patient performs certain movements, the better these movements become.
Without NDT interventions, the patient likely will develop a limited set of movement patterns that he or she is going to apply to just about all tasks. NDT should begin before such generalized movement synergies become hard-wired within the patient’s brain.
Therapists trained in Neuro Developmental Therapy have completed advanced training that allows them to properly assess and treat the variability of neuro-motor problems experienced by these individuals and help these individuals become as functional and independent as possible.
Neuro Developmental Therapists work collaboratively with patients, their families and caregivers, physicians, and other members of the rehabilitation team to develop and implement a comprehensive treatment program for each person who is predicated on scientific principles and current research.
For more information about NDT, please visit the Neuro-Developmental Treatment Association website.