NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL STIMULATION
I developed Neuro-Developmental Stimulation (NDS) gradually — first as a mother looking for a way to help my own son.
After studying physiotherapy, I began to focus more deeply on primary reflexes and their influence on child development. Later, I studied special education at Charles University, and I dedicated my further academic work, including my doctoral studies, to the development of NDS.
I am the developer and author of Neuro-Developmental Stimulation, I lead NDS courses for professionals, lecture at scientific and professional conferences, and publish books and professional articles.
It is important to me that NDS is practical and easy to understand, while at the same time being firmly grounded in research, developmental principles and rigorous professional work.
You can find more information about Neuro-Developmental Stimulation and primary reflexes on our website www.CortexAcademy.eu
What is Neuro-Developmental Stimulation?
Neuro-Developmental Stimulation is systematic work with the child’s nervous system through movement, sensory processing and developmental principles. It is not based on what “should be trained”, but on how the child actually functions – how they manage postural stability, coordination, sensory processing, regulation and the skills that build on these foundations.
We look at developmental connections – subtle mismatches in areas that should have matured and become integrated during development. These may later show up in learning, behaviour, attention, motor skills or emotional regulation. This is why difficulties are often not limited to just one area, but appear in different situations and in different forms.
NDS therefore naturally connects a physiotherapy perspective with a special education approach. When we talk about psychomotor development, this is exactly what we mean: the development of “movement” and the development of the “mind” – including attention, emotional regulation and the ability to plan and complete a task – cannot be separated.
Learning and movement are closely connected. A child may be trying very hard, but if they lack postural stability or spatial orientation, or if their nervous system is overloaded by sensory input, concentration and schoolwork require much more energy. This can then show up as fatigue, restlessness, avoidance of tasks or fluctuations in performance.
That is why NDS does not focus only on practising specific skills. We first strengthen the underlying developmental functions so that speech, school-related skills and self-regulation can develop more naturally on top of them.
Who is NDS suitable for?
NDS is suitable from approximately 2–3 years of age, when a child is able to cooperate with basic tasks, but it can also be beneficial well into adulthood.
It can be particularly valuable during the preschool years, before the child starts school. At this stage, we can support the foundations they will rely on every day at school – postural stability, coordination, sensory processing and self-regulation. This can often reduce difficulties that might otherwise become much more noticeable once school demands increase.
And the opposite is also true: it is never too late. Adults may also experience difficulties related to how their nervous system manages load and regulation – for example long-term stress, overload, headaches, tension in the body or back pain.
Every person has a different combination of difficulties. That is why we do not begin by selecting a “service”, but by understanding the connections. Within NDS, we then gradually focus on what is most important at that particular moment.
Who typically comes to us:
preschool children when “something does not seem quite right”, but it is not yet clear what
school-age children with learning difficulties, attention difficulties, problems with learning or adaptation
children who “cannot manage what they should be able to do” at school, despite trying hard
children without an official diagnosis, but whose parents have a clear sense that development is not progressing smoothly
How NDS Works
🔎 1) Initial Assessment
At the beginning, we assess whether the child has persistent primary reflexes – automatic responses that should gradually have been inhibited during early development. If they persist, they may affect postural stability, coordination, sensory processing and the ability to regulate.
During the assessment, we also look at how the child manages basic developmental functions and how these build on one another: stability, coordination, sensory processing, regulation and other related skills. This helps us determine where to begin and why.
🗒️ 2) Individual Plan and Home Activities
Based on the assessment, we prepare a specific NDS plan. It does not determine “how many therapy sessions” are needed, but rather the direction and sequence of the steps. You receive simple activities to do at home – usually just a few minutes a day. Regular practice is what makes the biggest difference.
📈 3) Follow-Up Appointments and Adjusting the Plan
During follow-up appointments, we monitor how the child responds, what is changing and what still needs to mature. We then adjust the plan accordingly – in a targeted way and for a clear reason. We may simplify something, add something, or leave something for later.
NDS adapts to the child, not the child to the method. And we always work in partnership with the family – because most of the work takes place between appointments, at home as part of everyday life.
What NDS Is Not
❌ NDS is not a quick “fix” for one specific difficulty. If a child struggles with something, it does not automatically mean that the answer is simply to practise that skill more. Sometimes the difficulty is only the visible result of a nervous system working under strain – there may be insufficient postural stability or coordination, or the child may be overloaded by sensory input. In such situations, performance-focused practice alone often adds pressure without bringing relief.
NDS is also not an isolated therapy taken out of context. We do not work on the basis of “let’s try this and see what happens”. You are not booking a package of methods or a predetermined number of “procedures”. Individual approaches and exercises are introduced only when they make developmental sense – and always as part of one coherent plan with a clear sequence.
And NDS is not passive care where everything happens during one hour with us. The greatest change happens between appointments – in everyday life at home. That is why NDS is based on cooperation with the family and on short, systematic daily practice. It is not about long exercise sessions, but about consistency: a few minutes every day that gradually build towards meaningful change.
We do not experiment. We work systematically, guided by developmental principles and ongoing evaluation – and when needed, we adjust the steps so they match the child and their individual pace.
What to Expect at Home
After the initial assessment, you will receive a few simple activities to do at home. At the beginning, these are most often movement-based games and exercises that support basic developmental functions. They are not time-consuming – usually no more than 10 minutes a day is enough. The key is regularity, not duration.
It is also important that the activities are often not “directly aimed at what the child struggles with”. If a child finds reading difficult, they will not simply be given more reading. If they struggle with maths, they will not just get more exercises. We first work on the foundations – stability, coordination, sensory processing and regulation. This often makes cooperation with the child easier and the changes more sustainable.
How NDS Works: The Building Blocks of Neuro-Developmental Stimulation
NDS is based on several core principles that work together.
Psychomotor Therapy
In NDS, we work from the principles of psychomotor therapy: by purposefully activating motor functions, we also influence psychological functions – not only “how the child moves”, but also how they concentrate, process sensory input, learn and calm themselves. This is one of the differences compared with approaches that focus mainly on physical fitness and performance.
In practice, we work with simple positions and movement patterns that follow developmental principles – they often resemble early movement patterns associated with primary reflexes. In this way, we give the brain a “second chance” to move from reflexive responses towards more mature, voluntary strategies.
Sensory-Sensitive Integration
The brain needs to be able to integrate information coming from both outside and inside the body. In NDS, we therefore use the term sensory-sensitive integration: we connect external sensory information (vision, hearing, touch) with internal feedback from the body (such as proprioception, pressure and pain), which reaches the CNS through afferent pathways.
When this integration does not work smoothly, the child may find it harder to organise movement, calm down and maintain attention.
It is also important that the relationship between sensory processing and reflexes works both ways: improving sensory-sensitive integration may support reflex inhibition, and vice versa. That is why NDS deliberately connects these two areas.
Inhibition of Primary Reflexes
Primary reflexes are automatic responses that are important for survival and for the development of neural connections during the first months of life. As the brain matures, higher centres gradually take over control and these reflexes should be inhibited, creating space for stable posture, coordination and more refined skills.
If primary reflexes persist, they may interfere with motor development, learning, speech and language development, and the ability to filter sensory input.
In NDS, we therefore work systematically on reflex inhibition. Movement is essential for this process because it naturally strengthens neural connections that suppress reflexive responses and replace them with voluntary control.
Holistic Model of Child Development
You can think of child development as the growth of a tree.
We often focus mainly on the “apples” – reading, writing, attention and behaviour. But these can only develop well if the tree itself is thriving.
The roots represent early developmental milestones, reflex integration and effective sensory processing. The trunk and branches represent posture, balance and coordination – and only on these foundations can school performance, social functioning and emotional regulation develop securely.
Neuro-Developmental Stimulation strengthens the roots so that the “fruits” – reading, writing, attention and learning – can also thrive.
Booking an Initial Assessment
The first step is always an initial neuro-developmental assessment with PhDr. Marja Volemanová, PhD.
During the assessment, we look together at your child’s difficulties, development, motor skills, sensory processing and any persistent primary reflexes. Based on the results, we prepare an individual plan for further support.
Follow-up appointments are then led by an NDS therapist whose experience and specialisation best match your child’s needs. This allows the ongoing support to be as targeted as possible while remaining accessible in the long term.
Marja remains the professional supervisor of the entire process and regularly consults with the therapists on progress and any necessary adjustments to the programme.
How the Process Works
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Initial Assessment with Marja
A detailed evaluation of your child’s development and current difficulties. -
Individual Programme Plan
Based on the assessment results, we create a plan for home exercises and further support. -
Selection of a Suitable NDS Therapist
For follow-up appointments, we recommend a therapist according to your child’s needs and the therapist’s area of expertise. -
Regular Follow-Ups and Programme Adjustments
The therapist monitors your child’s progress, adjusts the exercises and consults the overall approach with Marja when needed.
Book an Initial Assessment
Your first appointment is booked directly with Marja. We select the most suitable therapist for follow-up appointments only after the assessment results are available.
Neuro-Developmental Stimulation is based on scientific knowledge about the relationship between movement, sensory processing and the development of the nervous system.
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McPhillips, M. et al. (2000). Effects of replicating primary-reflex movements on specific reading difficulties in children: A randomised, double-blind, controlled trial. The Lancet, 355, 537–541.
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Diamond, A. (2000). Close interrelation of motor development and cognitive development and of the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex. Child Development, 71(1), 44–56.
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Volemanová, M. (2020). Neuro-vývojová stimulace v práci speciálního pedagoga. Disertační práce, UK Praha, PedF. Available at: https://is.cuni.cz/webapps/zzp/detail/182844/
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Volemanová, M. & Květoňová, L. (2018). Persisting primary reflexes – one of the causes of behavioral and learning disorders. Sborník Stejné a jiné v filosofické a speciálněpedagogické praxi, Praha.
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Volemanová, M. (2024). Teoretické základy metody Neuro-vývojové stimulace. Druhý dotisk 1. vydání (z r. 2021). Statenice, INVTS. ISBN 978-80-907369-4-8
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Volemanová, M. (2016). Možnosti ovlivnění vybraných oblastí psychomotorického vývoje dítěte pomocí Neuro-vývojové terapie. Diplomová práce, UK Praha.
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Volemanová, M. (2025). Přetrvávající primární reflexy, opomíjený faktor problémů učení a chování. 3. rozšířené vydání. Statenice, INVTS. ISBN 978-80-907369-2-4
The complete list of scientific references can be found on the Scientific Evidence page.
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