Autism
ADD & ADHD
Learning Disabilities
Auditory Processing
Dyslexia
Dyspraxia
Aspergers
Communication Disorder
Developmental Delay
When children are born, they emerge from the
womb with primitive reflexes – physical responses that are initiated without
conscious thought or intention. These reflexes allow the child to cope with the
influx of new sensory information from the post-utero environment. These initial
reflex patterns but should within the first few years be overtaken and inhibited
by voluntary actions – these are referred to as postural reflexes or postural
control. It has been found that problems with neurosensory integration may be
attributed to uninhibited primitive reflexes.
The retention of primitive reflexes does not always present clearly. One example
is the palmar reflex, where the fingers automatically close when the palm is
stimulated. A child who has retained the palmar reflex will not demonstrate this
precise characteristic at the age of 6, but instead may have poor pencil grip
and trouble with fine motor coordination or manual dexterity. Each primitive
reflex has its own set of consequences if it hasn’t been fully inhibited by its
postural equivalent.
Treating developmental disorders involves an assumption that effective
functioning cannot exist without normal development. While most developmental
milestones are acknowledged through physical achievements (crawling, standing,
walking), these milestones have their basis in the brain’s interconnections –
that is, motor development is dependent on neuro development. This makes the
brain an ideal focal point for intervention.
The rationale behind Neuro Developmental Therapy (NDT) is that sensory systems
and reflexes are indivisible, and that any existing primitive reflexes can be
actively inhibited by exercising the postural reflexes. Postural reflexes have
the effect of maintaining and controlling posture, physical actions and
equilibrium, which is why the activities in NDT involve these elements of
functioning. More specifically, the systems targeted in NDT are those involved
in learning through motion.
Neuro Developmental Therapy is, in a sense, the reliving of the experience of
sensory development so that the primitive reflexes are revisited and overtaken
as they ideally would have been during the child’s infancy.
Neuro Developmental Therapy programs will
involve different activities depending on the child’s sensory profile, which is
developed through an assessment by a qualified professional.
Would you like to know more?
Contact us and attend one of our information
sessions.