Physical therapy method that works on movement tasks, in particular, early intervention starting at about three months of age. Sometimes used as another name for Bobath (q.v.). Method developed out of Bobath by Elsbeth Köng, a Swiss pediatrician, and Mary Quinton, a British physical therapist, and further developed since. Used by a number of practitioners including physical, occupational and speech therapists. Further description, www.pathwaysawareness.org/aboutpaf/84. A systematic review of studies up to 2001 said that research into the effectiveness of NDT was inconclusive in the case of cerebral palsy, but a later study came out positive.
Brown GT and Burns SA. The efficacy of neurodevelopmental treatments in children: a systematic review. British Journal of Occupational Therapy 2001, 64(5); 235-244
Tsorlakis N et al. Effect of intensive neurodevelopmental treatment in gross motor function of children with cerebral palsy. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 2004 Nov;46(11):740-5. Erratum in: Dev Med Child Neurol. 2005 Apr;47(4):287.
NOTE: New Decision Therapy, a memory system unconnected with physical therapy, is also called NDT.
