Best Self Family Post
The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT™) for Children
8/5/2025
Working with families, I use a variety of theories and models to help me arrange the best possible treatment plan that’s going to work for your child. These theories and models provide highly important information regarding development, behavior, and interventions. We consider these the foundational blocks we lay down first. Then after getting to know your child, we can create a plan that is research backed and tailored to address your child’s needs.
I hold a certification in a model called The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT™), originally developed by Dr. Bruce Perry. This model focuses on how brain development impacts four key areas of daily functioning: sensory integration, self-regulation, relationships, and cognition. To assess these areas, I take time getting to know your child and their developmental history. Using a scoring guide formulated by Dr. Perry and other professionals in the field of neurodevelopment, I am able to accurately assess your child’s functioning according to four domains.
The four domains that NMT focuses on are scored on a scale from essential (crucial to focus on) to enrichment (developing typically or may benefit from mild support). They include sensory integration, self-regulation, relationships, and cognition. Let’s break down what each of these mean. Sensory integration refers to five senses: touch, smell, taste, sight, and sound and how much your child is able to tolerate those experiences. If you or your child have any experience working with an occupational therapist, you’ll recognize some of the exercises we would practice to work on sensory integration.
The self-regulation domain can be thought of as working on self-soothing and calm down skills. Self-regulation is super important for children to learn because it helps them to be able to cool down after having big emotions and big behaviors. With practice, they learn how to use these skills before they explode. It’s prevention as well as remedy. The relational domain is where extracurriculars, friends, and adult support systems come into play. We will focus on building up and strengthening these support systems so your child has multiple spaces that they feel comfortable and safe enough to express themselves and their emotions.
Lastly but certainly not least, the cognitive domain will focus on reaching the prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain is responsible for complex thought processes like speech, language, abstract thought, and many others. Here we’ll spend time working on things like processing emotions, bettering communication, or strengthening executive functioning.
From there, I can create a unique treatment plan for your child to super charge your child’s positive outcomes from our work together. An important aspect of NMT is an understanding that therapy can and does happen outside the therapy room. Therapeutic moments are happening between you and your child everyday, we can work together to make the most of those moments!
If your child’s results show they need the most support in the area of self-regulation, our treatment plan may focus on practicing calming and soothing exercises that they can do on their own as well as with you! This can include a range of activities from breathing exercises to jumping rope. Regulation for a child can look different depending on their interests, needs, and sensory preferences. An example of this is, having your child observe a lava lamp for 1-3 minutes after engaging in a playful activity that led to high excitement and energized behavior.
That is just one example of what regulation practice looks like! Working together as a team, we can come up with a series of exercises and activities that fit your child and their needs. As your child’s biggest supporter, your involvement is vital to their success. These interventions and activities are taught in the therapy room, but they are created to be practiced out in the real world. When I teach your child a skill, I will also show you how to apply it. Together, we can come up with the when, where, and how to practice these skills. By implementing the activities and exercises into your daily or weekly routines you will strengthen your child’s skills and see results faster.