A Collaborative Approach to Defining Neonatal Therapy

The purpose of this article is to provide a reference for occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists on a shared definition of neonatal therapy. This article will further outline the collaborative efforts, process and recommendations of a multidisciplinary team of neonatal occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists, who participated in an inaugural meeting on February 12, 2012, as part of the National Association of Neonatal Therapists (NANT). One of the first goals of the NANT Professional Collaborative was to define the practice of neonatal therapy. To move forward as one group, two questions were considered: first, who are we as neonatal therapists and, second, what is neonatal therapy? The American Occupational Therapy Association, American Physical Therapy Association, and the American Speech and Hearing Association have all published three separate articles outlining skills, knowledge, and scope of practice. However, all three disciplines share common ground in the neonatal intensive care unit, and the NANT Professional Collaborative took on the task of creating one definition that could be shared by all.