Neuro-Psychomotor intervention in children with neurodevelopmental disorders: An exploratory study by using parent-report tools

Abstract

Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of complex conditions with onset in the developmental period, that produce impairments of global functioning. For these features, the rehabilitative approaches should be flexible, tailored to the individual characteristics of each patient, and characterized by a standardized multidimensional view, for taking into consideration all the several areas of neurodevelopment. This single-arm clinical trial aims to investigate the features, feasibility, and limitations of Neuro-Psychomotor (NPM) intervention, an Italian naturalistic model for children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. 30 children (16 with Mixed Specific Developmental Disorder vs 14 with Intellectual Disability) were recruited and their parents filled out two validated tools questionnaires (Developmental Profile-3 and Sensory Processing Measure), before and after 6 months of NPM intervention. Although with some limitations, findings showed that NPM intervention is reliable, flexible, and helpful for children with different neurodevelopmental disorders. Further studies are necessary to investigate its efficacy on a larger sample.