A new approach to treatment for children with developmental disabilities such as cerebral palsy, autism and others has been developed by Snowdrop Child Development consultants . The treatment is called ‘neuro-cognitive therapy’ and is presented in the form of a programme, which families carry out at home each day in the form of a structured programme of stimulation.

Neuro-cognitive therapy is based upon certain irrefutable facts concerning brain function, which are applied to the treatment of children's developmental difficulties. One of these is brain plasticity. It is now unchallengeable that the brain is capable of changing its structure and functioning in response to the environment in which it finds itself. This is seen in the growth of new synaptic connections and the pruning of inefficient ones in response to the relative enrichment or impoverishment of the developmental environment.

The principles behind neuro-cognitive therapy are two-fold. Firstly that children with developmental difficulties experience problems of sensory perception and need the provision of an appropriate ‘neurological environment in order to correct these sensory mis-perceptions. Secondly, learning can lead development and no matter how badly affected a child is, if information is presented at the correct level and in the correct manner, any child can learn.

The regime is the brainchild of Andrew Brereton, who himself was the father of a child who suffered profound cerebral palsy and autism. Unfortunately Andrew’s son passed away from a stroke four years ago, but during his life and afterward Andrew has striven to study and become qualified in the areas of child development and cognitive psychology. During his son’s life Andrew gained the his first degree in psychology and child development, later studying in the department of ‘Human communications sciences’ at the University of Sheffield, where he gained post graduate qualifications in ‘Language and Communication Impairments in Children.’ Latterly Andrew gained his Msc in cognitive psychology and child development.
His son’s problems initially motivated Andrew to study as he became tired of the life of his family being controlled by doctors and therapists, who often did not appear to have much of a clue about treating his son. His aim was to amass the knowledge required to free his family from this control, so that they could question the professionals who were treating his son as equals and regain their independence. However, it soon became apparent to Andrew that his studies would become far more meaningful to him than this simple ambition and he began to nurture ideas about helping other children.

This quest for knowledge led his family all over the world to various clinics which offered alternative treatments, stimulating incredible advances in his son's development for instance restoring his vision from being cortically blind. the knowledge gained from studying various techniques from all over the world alongside knowledge gained from his research at university Andrew knew he could develop a new type of therapy aimed at stimulating children's development.

Andrew launched Snowdrop earlier this year and has been staggered at the response from families worldwide. Within just a few short weeks of the launch Snowdrop is treating children from as far afield as the US, South Africa and Indonesia, in addition to treating children in the UK.

Andrew has also published two books, one on the subject of cerebral palsy and the other concerning autism, which can be obtained through the Snowdrop website on http://www.snowdrop.cc