NDS Active Learning®
A diagnosis is a set of symptoms.
We look for the underlying causes.
What is Neuro-Developmental Stimulation?
Neuro-Developmental Stimulation (NDS) is a comprehensive approach that focuses on the connections between motor development, sensory processing, persistent primary reflexes, and difficulties that may affect attention, speech, coordination, or school-related skills.
Based on the initial assessment, an individual programme of short activities and exercises is created for the family to practise regularly at home. During follow-up appointments, we monitor the child’s progress and gradually adjust the programme according to their current needs.
NDS is a method developed by PhDr. Marja Volemanová, PhD.
Marja is a physiotherapist, special educator, and author of professional publications. She has been focusing on persistent primary reflexes and their connections with movement, learning, and child development for many years. In NDS, she combines her experience in physiotherapy and special education into a practical programme that parents can incorporate into their child’s everyday routine at home.
How we can help you and your child
You do not have to choose between different therapies or guess what “might work”.
We begin with one initial assessment. From this, we create one clear plan — based on your child’s development as a whole, not just on one symptom.
We learn through movement.
When the foundation makes sense, the next steps begin to make sense too.
You may be dealing with speech.
Or writing, attention, school readiness or behaviour.
But often it turns out that these are not “several different problems”.
One underlying cause may simply be showing itself in different ways.
Neuro-Developmental Stimulation looks at the connections between the body, the senses and the nervous system.
We do not work only with symptoms.
We look for connections and support the foundation on which further skills can build.
What NDS — Neuro-Developmental Stimulation — can support
Every child develops at their own pace. In some cases, however, difficulties may persist despite consistent support. These may appear in attention, coordination, balance, eye movements, graphomotor skills or school-related abilities.
In these situations, it can be helpful to look more deeply at the neurodevelopmental connections behind these difficulties.
Neuro-Developmental Stimulation (NDS) is based on the understanding that the quality of learning and behaviour is also influenced by postural stability, sensory processing and the maturation of basic movement patterns.
In practice, this means that we look at the “building blocks” on which speech, learning and school skills are built:
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Primary reflexes and their retention (when primary reflexes are not inhibited at the expected time, they may slow down or weaken the development of higher brain functions).
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Balance and body stability (head and body control form the basis for further movement patterns).
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Sensory processing / sensory integration (the brain needs clear information from the senses and the ability to combine it into one meaningful picture).
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Body awareness and coordination (this includes left/right and upper/lower body coordination).
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Eye movements and visual functions ( fixation, focusing and tracking are important parts of visual information processing and learning).
Only when this foundation is supported can the areas that concern parents the most begin to improve — writing, reading, concentration, speech or the child’s ability to manage school demands.
That is why you do not book several separate therapies with us.
You simply book NDS.
NDS is a comprehensive approach. After the initial assessment, we set priorities together and gradually focus on what is most important for your child right now — first the foundation, such as balance, sensory processing and primary reflexes, and then the skills that build on it.
The Development Tree
How we understand a child’s development
Healthy child development can be imagined as the growth of a tree.
A child’s development is not a set of separate skills.
It is a process with a clear sequence.
When one part of development has not had enough space to mature, it may show up somewhere else — often in the area where parents notice difficulties first.
Crown
Writing, reading, graphomotor skills and school-related abilities are the most visible parts.
But they do not stand alone.
They always grow from what lies beneath them.
Branches
This is where underlying skills develop — attention, pace, visual perception and auditory perception.
This is often where the first difficulties appear.
Their root cause, however, is usually lower down.
Trunk
Stability, balance, coordination and the maturity of the nervous system create support for further skills.
Without a strong trunk, every activity costs the child much more effort.
Roots
Primary reflexes and sensory processing form the foundation for all further development.
When the nervous system constantly has to “watch over the basics”, there is less capacity left for learning, speech or attention.
Cortex Help in Roztoky near Prague!
From March 2026, you can find us at:
Tiché údolí 687, Roztoky near Prague
The centre is easily accessible by car and by public transport.
You can park at the public car park Tiché údolí, which is approximately 150 metres from the house, at the end of the street.
The train station is about 1.2 km away, approximately a 10–15 minute walk.
From the station, you can also take bus 359.
The Maxmiliánka stop is approximately 100 metres from the house.
Our approach is based on findings from developmental neurology, psychomotor development and sensory integration.
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Leahy, A. A. et al. (2024). Associations Between Motor Competence and Executive Functions in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 54, 1497–1517.
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Gieysztor, E. Z. et al. (2018). Persistence of primitive reflexes and associated motor problems in healthy preschool children. Archives of Medical Science, 14(1), 167–173.
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Volemanová, M. (2013). Přetrvávající primární reflexy, opomíjený faktor poruch učení a chování. Praha: Red Tulip. ISBN 978-80-905597-0-7.
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Volemanová, M. (2020). Neuro-vývojová stimulace v práci speciálního pedagoga. Disertační práce, Univerzita Karlova, Pedagogická fakulta.
You can find the complete list of scientific sources on the Scientific Background page.
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Book an Initial NDS Assessment
Your initial assessment is with Marja. We will recommend a therapist for follow-up appointments based on the assessment results and your child’s needs.
We will look at key developmental functions, including persistent primary reflexes and sensory processing.
We will then create a plan together: what to support first and how to work on it at home for just a few minutes a day.
