Map & Compass Neuro-Developmental Therapy

01/09/2026

Map & Compass offers a free 30-minute enquiry/consultation video call with Tori Sheppard, Neurodevelopmental Therapist, so you can find out more about the work and services of Map & Compass and how we may be able to help you or your child. We can discuss the programmes offered at Map & Compass and explore what may work best for your situation. These no-pressure appointments are held on Zoom as a video call. After this call, if the decision is to go ahead, the next step would be an Initial Consultation in which we would discuss you or your child's presenting symptoms at length and go through a full developmental history. This Enquiry Call is a good opportunity to ask questions and to gather information to determine if going ahead with Map & Compass is the right fit for you and your family and, if so what the programmes would look like and what your next steps would be.

Let's make it easy for you to find out more...

https://www.mapandcompasstherapy.com/service-page/enquiry-call-free-consultation

31/08/2026

School refusal and back-to-school anxiety are so often rooted in underlying physical factors- not just overthinking. 🧠⚡

I don’t make promises or guarantee specific outcomes - every child’s neurodevelopmental profile is unique. My approach is simple: assess underlying physical factors, implement targeted support, and carefully measure progress along the way to see what actually helps.

When a child’s “neurological cup” is overflowing due to retained primitive reflexes or sensory processing strains, the nervous system gets stuck in a hyper-alert state. When that happens, the cortical (thinking) brain can’t easily reason through panic - all the child can do is react to the fear.

Here is how addressing those physical foundations may help lower that cup:

🔹 INPP Reflex Integration
Retained primitive reflexes (like the Moro reflex) can keep the body’s physiological alarm system chronically active. Movement-based protocols aim to help integrate these reflexes, which may lower background physical stress and reduce involuntary panic responses to everyday triggers.

🔹 Auditory Therapies (Tomatis & Johansen IAS)
A busy classroom demands constant sound filtering. Sound-based therapies like Tomatis® and Johansen Individualised Auditory Stimulation use tailored audio input to support auditory processing and nervous system regulation, which may help ease sensory exhaustion and classroom overwhelm.

Hearing from parents this term whose children are returning to school and coping so much better is why this work matters. If there is a way to address the physical factors beneath the behaviour and make daily life easier for a child, it is worth looking into.

📞 Book a Free Enquiry Call via the link on my website to discuss your child’s situation and see if they might be a candidate for assessment.

📌 Save this post for later, or share it with a parent or educator looking for a measured, sensory-informed approach.

31/08/2026

School refusal and back-to-school anxiety are so often rooted in underlying physical factors - not just overthinking. 🧠⚡

I don’t make promises or guarantee specific outcomes - every child’s neurodevelopmental profile is unique. My approach is simple: assess underlying physical factors, implement targeted support, and carefully measure progress along the way to see what actually helps.

When a child’s “neurological cup” is overflowing due to retained primitive reflexes or sensory processing strains, the nervous system gets stuck in a hyper-alert state. When that happens, the cortical (thinking) brain can’t easily reason through panic - all the child can do is react to the fear.

Here is how addressing those physical foundations may help lower that cup:

🔹 INPP Reflex Integration
Retained primitive reflexes (like the Moro reflex) can keep the body’s physiological alarm system chronically active. Movement-based protocols aim to help integrate these reflexes, which may lower background physical stress and reduce involuntary panic responses to everyday triggers.

🔹 Auditory Therapies (Tomatis® & JohansenIAS)
Sound-based therapies like Tomatis and Johansen Individualised Auditory Stimulation use tailored audio input to support auditory processing and nervous system regulation, which may help ease sensory exhaustion and classroom overwhelm.

Hearing from parents this term whose children are returning to school and coping so much better is why this work matters. If there is a way to address the physical factors beneath the behaviour and make daily life easier for a child, it is worth looking into.

📞 Book a Free Enquiry Call via the link on my website to discuss your child’s situation and see if they might be a candidate for assessment.

📌 Save this post for later, or share it with a parent or educator looking for a measured, sensory-informed approach.

31/08/2026

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

31/08/2026

Look at what happened over the past few days!!!!

INPP SCHOOL TRAINING for early years in nursery schools!!

Pauline Shannon, INPP UK trainer came over to teach 2 different training days in Tirkane and Ballymena. For Dunclug Nursery School and Naíscoil Charn Tóchair and Naíscoil Mhachaire Rátha…
What a JOY to see eyes light up with excitement as these teachers began to understand the work of Neurodevelopmental Therapy and how it can help the children in their schools!

Exciting times!!

Pleeeease be in touch if any teachers in your nursery or primary school would like to be trained ! I’m putting together new dates ASAP!!!!!

31/08/2026

What a wonderful post from Naíscoil Charn Tóchair and Naíscoil Mhachaire Rátha explaining the INPP UK school training that they did this past week. I’m delighted to be able to support them going forward. Please take a minute to read their beautifully written caption. It truly was a privilege to be with them and to get a glimpse of their passion for children, families and community. The INPP School Programme will be a natural fit for their “whole child” approach.

If you are interested in a training for any teacher at your nursery or primary school… or a whole staff training … get in touch!

🌟 Agus seo linn – our INPP journey begins! 🌟

We were so excited to officially get started alongside our colleagues from and St. Brigids Primary School Tirkane/ Bunscoil Naomh Bríd Tír Chiana , welcoming Pauline Shannon from and Tori Sheppard from for our first training day. 🧠🌱

INPP focuses on neuromotor readiness for learning, using carefully designed daily movements to support the physical foundations children need for coordination, sensory processing and learning.

And while there is something wonderfully innovative about the programme, in many ways it feels like a return to basics – recognising just how important movement, physical development, time and the opportunity to develop at a child’s own pace are in laying the foundations for everything that follows. 🌱

Perhaps that’s why it feels such a natural fit for us.

Our children acquire fluency in Gaeilge through immersion, not because the language sits separately as something to be ‘taught’, but because it is woven through their play, routines, relationships and everyday experiences. INPP will be woven into our days in much the same way, not as an add-on, but as part of the everyday rhythm of our Naíscoil.

There’s a lovely sense of reconnection running through it all: reconnecting with movement and the foundations of development; reconnecting with our language and community; and, through An Coillín, giving our children the space to reconnect with place, nature and the outdoors. 🌿💚

For us, that is what a truly whole-child approach looks like.

We’re so excited for the year ahead as all of these strands come together, because ultimately, we’re not simply preparing our children for the next classroom. We’re building strong foundations for learning and for life. 🌱✨

And we’re delighted to have Tori alongside us throughout the year as we put it all into practice.

Tús maith leath na hoibre. 💚

If you'd like to know more...please just drop us a message 🫶

25/08/2026

A “must - listen” for every parent and educator.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/my-mighty-quinn-from-tics-turbulence-distraction-and/id1713350863?i=1000776108487

This is why oculomotor assessment is a key part of every INPP assessment and programme.

Doing a programme of reflex integration can significantly affect attention, balance, coordination, sensory integration, social skills, interception AND …. YES…oculomotor skills and visual perception. These are big big things to be sure are working optimally and the most exciting and under-reported part of all of this is THERE IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT ✨

And… this is why I refer regularly to Roisin Brogan at Brogans eyes & ears in Lisburn because she is a Behavioural/Neurodevelopmental Optometrist who is looking at far more than asking the question if you have 20/20 vision. There is so much more… and the more of it all can greatly affect your ability to succeed academically, socially, in sport and in life skills…..as well as how you regulate emotions/anxiety etc.

Have a listen to this podcast to find out more…

And book your assessment at Map & Compass Neurodevelopmental Therapy to answer the question “How stable and mature is your or your child’s oculomotor/visual perceptual system?? Isn’t it worth finding out??

https://www.mapandcompasstherapy.com/

22/08/2026

If you are asking the question "Is there a way to make day-to-day life any easier for my child?" and feel there must be a way forward for your child, but you don’t know where to start, the weight of that uncertainty can be overwhelming. Often, families have already tried various supports and interventions, yet find themselves wondering: “What are we missing?”

At Map & Compass, we look at development through a specialised neuro-developmental lens to identify foundational gaps in development that may be hindering progress.

The Bottom-Up Approach ⬆️
We look at the foundations of the nervous system and determine if there are areas of development that can be given a “second chance.” By addressing neuromotor immaturity and auditory processing challenges, we create individually designed programmes that support the brain’s neuroplasticity (its ability to change), allowing the brain and body to work together more efficiently and in line with optimal patterns of development.
When these gaps in the foundations are strengthened, the brain doesn’t have to work as hard just to manage everyday tasks. This ensures the child's “neurological cup” is not in a constant state of overflow, making life feel easier and less overwhelming for them.

Specialist Support on the Causeway Coast 📍
Map & Compass is a specialised practice led by Tori Sheppard, a qualified INPP Licentiate, Tomatis®(Level 2) Consultant, Johansen IAS, and RGM practitioner.

The work focuses on:
✨ Reflex Integration: Addressing physical factors underlying learning, attention, anxiety, emotional and sensory regulation, and coordination.
✨ Auditory Processing/Neurosensory Stimulation: Supporting how the brain processes what the ears hear, which can affect areas of attention, speech/language, behaviour, and coordination.
✨ Bi-lateral Integration: Strengthening the brain-body connection.
✨ Specialist Educational & Learning Advice: Navigating the path to academic progress.

Our mission is to help families find the most productive direction.

How to start moving forward:

1️⃣ The Screening Questionnaire
An easy first step to identify potential signs of neuromotor immaturity.
🔗 https://www.mapandcompasstherapy.com/screening-questionnaire
2️⃣ Free 30-Minute Consultation
This is an enquiry call for any questions or information. It is a no-pressure conversation to explore if a programme at Map & Compass is the best next step for your child.
🔗 Book here: https://www.mapandcompasstherapy.com/service-page/enquiry-video-call-free-consultation?referral=service_list_widget

There is so much more you can read on the website to find out more. https://www.mapandcompasstherapy.com/

If you are looking for the way to go and how to get there....start here at Map & Compass Neurodevelopmental Therapy. 🎯

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18/08/2026

If you are looking for an intervention that is more than hype, with years of case studies and volumes of research behind it...

You may be very interested in diving into the research pages on the Tomatis website...

Get ready for a VERY encouraging read.

https://www.tomatis.com/en/resources/research-publications/