Physical Therapy for Children with Special Needs

Emerging ideas are used for treating brain problems, including many kinds of congenital, acquired and traumatic issues. Unfortunately, physical therapists who employ these ideas can be difficult to find. The increasingly popular method is known as neurodevelopmental therapy, or NDT.

At its core, Neurodevelopmental Therapy is a way to look at problems on a very personal level. Physical therapists use hands-on treatments and high-tech equipment to train patients on tasks. For instance, consider the case of a kid who can't manipulate a fork might decide she wants to learn. The pediatric therapist might guide the patient through lifting the hand, locating the fork and noticing what that's like and then using the fingers and thumb to grab. It's all step by step, and involves touch from start to finish.

A particularly important part of this Neurodevelopmental Therapy method is patient goal-setting. For children with special needs, Mom and Dad may set the goals. For adults dealing with issues like stroke or TIB, the goal might be learning to reach above the head without support. Some of the best physical therapists who have used these techniques say that the patient's perception of treatment is very important.

Beyond the intuitive sense that it works, Neurodevelopmental Therapy truly works. People treated with it need less help and fewer devices and improve at proper positioning. Improvement is possible in a variety of functions.

For children with disabilities, pediatric physical therapists can use Neurodevelopmental Therapy to help with things that will make these individuals less dependent on others for care. They can learn to bear their own weight, maneuver stairs, or even learning to crawl and grasp objects. Experts believe that at least a little improvement is within reach of almost all people, even those with the most serious conditions.

The research about Neurodevelopmental Therapy isn't very extensive, but the subject isn't really being challenged. Many of the studies have been done on small groups of patients, so aren't widely generalizable. But it all makes sense and a growing number of pediatric physical therapists and other specialists are trying it.

If you're facing difficult problems with speech, eating and mobility, consider finding a what is autism spectrum disorder San Diego, CA expert for a few sessions.