South African Neurodevelopmental Therapy Association - SANDTA
Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Speech Therapists who are trained and interested in influencing the lives of individuals with cerebral palsy and other neurological deficits.

Neurodevelopmental Therapy is a treatment approach used for the assessment and management of children and adults who have motor and sensory problems as a result of cerebral palsy or any other trauma to the brain.

• “Neuro” meaning brain and nerves.
• “Developmental” acknowledges the developmental nature
of movement problems and the importance of understanding typical motor development and acquisition of skills.
• “Therapy” is a management approach for treating individuals with central nervous system damage.

In NDT treatment, the therapist addresses the disturbance in postural tone and movement patterns. Through a variety of therapeutic handling techniques and the facilitation of more normal patterns, more normal sensory-motor experiences become possible and improved postural control and function may be gained. Improvement in everyday activities, such as sitting, walking, feeding, dressing, playing and writing is the primary aim of the treatment.

• “Analyses” the physical challenges that impact on posture and movement.
• “Emphasizes” therapeutic handling which influences
postural tone and facilitates desired functional activity.
• “Incorporates” sensory input to produce a desired motor response.
• “Encourages” education in NDT principles to maximize quality of movement in all environments including home, school, work and community.
• “Strives” to minimize undesired postures which can
result in secondary problems.
• “Aims” to promote active, efficient and goal-directed movements during functional activity.