Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT) principles address movement, postural control, and motor development that can underlie speech and feeding challenges.
What NDT Addresses
NDT is a hands-on treatment approach used to address movement and functional challenges in children with neurological differences — including cerebral palsy and other conditions that affect postural control and coordinated movement. It works through guided handling techniques, therapeutic positioning, and equipment like physioballs, bolsters, and wedges to help a child's body find more efficient, functional movement patterns.
We draw on principles from Dynamic Systems theory and motor learning research alongside NDT handling, always in service of the same question: what movement foundation does this child need before speech or feeding goals can move forward? For many of the complex cases we see, that foundation — not more repetition at the sound or word level — is the actual limiting factor.
How We Approach It
NDT-informed facilitation is one of several sensory-motor development approaches we integrate when a child's movement foundation needs to be addressed before speech or feeding goals can progress.