About Me

I’m Here to Help.

Hello, I am Lesley Ann Penistone, a neurodevelopmental movement and retained primitive reflex instructor in Woking, Surrey.

My Background

Through experiences in my wider family, I wanted to understand why some children, for no apparent reason, have emotional, behavioural, social and educational problems?

Why are these children stuck in a state of overwhelm when they show signs of being capable and having intelligence whilst their sibling, without much effort, makes huge leaps forwards in their development and maturity?

Primitive Reflexes

In the womb and early stages of life, we are coded with a number of reflexes that not only aid survival in the womb but in the birthing process and also serve to ensure the survival and safety of the newborn into early infancy.

These primitive reflexes are instinctive, involuntary and repetitive movements that are directed from the brainstem. They are made without engaging the brain. They are designed to aid survival and development in the womb and in infancy. 

These repetitive movements build neural pathways, assisting in the myelination of these pathways, connecting the different parts of the brain. As the movements become more practised and controlled, the movements are integrated, making way for postural reflexes.

Problems in natural development can occur when these primitive reflexes do not emerge or become stuck or retained.

Therapies and Methods

After some research, I discovered Rhythmic Movement Training International.  I trained in their neurodevelopmental movement programme that checks for retained primitive reflexes and prescribes movements to help integrate the reflexes, and now I am a registered therapist in RMTi.

I have also trained in the following:-

1. Exercise and Sound in Education
2. Brain Gym
3. Musgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration
4. Bal-A-Vis-X
5. Double Doodle

These are all programmes to help with development.