Experiential Education for Parents and Movement Professionals

Optimize Every Child's
Developmental Trajectory
Regardless of the Challenge or Disability
via NeuroHorizons® Experiential Movement®

North America's premier movement education program uniquely dedicated to the parents and caregivers supporting the Child With Special Needs

⦿

Fundamentals of
Experiential Movement®

Seminar Series For Parents & Caregivers
Supporting the Child With Special Needs

➤; Experiential Seminars & Practicums Focused on the Kids

➤; Small, ln-person Groups = Personalized & Effective Learning

➤; Empowering Tools & Skills, Sooner Than You Might lmagine

"Dance" with
Everyday
Neural Plasticity
via NeuroHorizons®
Experiential Movement®

MEXICO CITY SEMlNAR SERlES BEGlNS

NOVEMBER 5, 2025 in MEXICO CITY

SPACE lS LlMlTED, PLEASE BE lN TOUCH

"The joy factor has exponentially increased in our life. I continue to be astounded by the profound physical, mental, and emotional changes within myself and for my Special Needs Child.

I could immediately use what I learned with my boy, and his movement and language are shifting and growing at a remarkable pace. After all the years of trying other modalities, my connection with my son has now transformed into a distinct experience of joy, freedom and flexibility."

Annemarie Miller
NeuroHorizons Graduate &
Mother of Special Needs Child

"Since the very first Segment I've been applying what we learned to my kids, including my son with CP, and their nervous systems pick it up and shift so quickly. I am fascinated and so excited. Thank you for this learning.”

Janine Keller
NeuroHorizons Graduate &
Mother of Special Needs Child

“I've learned to work with my daughter with cerebral palsy in ways I never knew were possible. Attentive movement has become an automatic part of our daily routine — if I am touching my daughter we are learning together. Watching each little change through everyday neural plasticity has been amazing. This program has been a one-of-a-kind, life-changing experience for us both.”

Cassie Baker
NeuroHorizons Graduate &
Mother of Special Needs Child

“After each Segment I came away feeling empowered, gaining confidence in myself and my ability to help my Special Needs son. You deliver a wonderful, experiential learning process in which I discover new movements, tools, and understanding, and which allow me to re-create the process at home for my own children."

Aideen Roddy
NeuroHorizons Graduate &
Mother of Special Needs Child

Parents & Caregivers
Empowering Themselves
to Empower the Child

⦿ The Fundamentals seminar series is the only small-group, entirely in-person, and fully individualized experiential learning program of its kind in North America.

⦿ Master Practitioner and Teacher Sylvia Leiner Shordike has distilled her 30+ years of professional experience serving children into a unique synthesis of cognitive, experiential, hands-on, and practicum instruction.

⦿ The curriculum empowers parents and caregivers with new awareness, skills, and attitudes that bring more vitality into their own lives, while also optimizing the developmental trajectory of the Child With Special Needs.

You learn to empower yourself to empower the child.
Sooner than you might imagine.

EMBODY. ENVlSlON. ELlClT. EMPOWER.®

Individualized Instruction
with Master Teacher & Trainer

SYLVlA LElNER SHORDlKE

Founder of the
NeuroHorizons® Experiential Movement® Learning Programs

Author of

The NeuroHorizons Primer:
Empower Yourself to Empower the Child With Special Needs
Experiential Movement as
Science, Toolbox & Art Form

The essential "big-picture" handbook for movement practitioners, parents, and caregivers seeking to elevate their service to Children With Special Needs.

⦿ Throughout the Fundamentals we explore the questions and challenges commonly faced by parents and caregivers supporting the Special Needs Child.

⦿ Over ten 5-day seminars you experience the transformative power of neural plasticity for yourself, using the framework of gentle, intentional movement. It is through your personal exploration of Experiential Movement® that you develop the new awareness, skills, and habits that empower you to embody a fluid, spacious, and skillful relational presence.

⦿ By evolving this self-awareness, and personal “differentiation” and “organization” for yourself, you are then able to model them for your loved ones. You now have the keys to empowering the child or children you care for.

⦿ You are taught in-person (there is NO Zoom-type teaching) by Master Teacher Sylvia Leiner Shordike, author of The NeuroHorizons Primer. This assures a highly individualized and potent learning experience tailored to your needs. You quickly bring more clarity, ease, grace, and pleasure into your life and family.

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“A huge awakening, and life changing for me and my Special Needs son. Far more integration, ease and freedom. As I experience my own skeleton and nervous system in new ways, how I work with my son also shifts; small, subtle, movements are really effective.

I came to this training for my son, but now I realize how much I need this for myself too, so I can grow old and still move :)”

Jean Smyth
NeuroHorizons Graduate &
Mother of Special Needs Child

"I have been able to slow myself down, observe more, and become less stressed (which my husband appreciates :) From our very first Segment I've been connecting very differently with my Special Needs daughter, allowing her to do more, try more, make more mistakes, and thus have more experiences. She is becoming more alert, aware, and communicative. So, really big benefits for my family."

Christine Hengst
NeuroHorizons Graduate &
Mother of Special Needs Child

“Sylvia's insistence on a small group, in-person, personalized learning environment is so healing and empowering. Her teaching style is dynamic and down-to-earth, crystal clear and encouraging for the parents who have never studied this genre of movement work. Truly impressive.”

Verena Kurz
NeuroHorizons Graduate & NeuroMovement Graduate

“Exactly what I was looking for: The opportunity to learn about how I move my own body, so that I can be the best possible role model for my daughter. I feel much better in my own skin, and there is a new sense of curiosity about options for myself, and for my child. Your embodied teaching, clarity, humor, passion, and generosity bring so much life to this learning. Thank you!”

Daniela I., Ph.D
NeuroHorizons Graduate &
Mother of Special Needs Child

NeuroHorizons empowers parents and caregivers
to empower the special needs child.

You start working skillfully and confidently with the kids
sooner than you might imagine.

Here is one mother's experience.

Here is the story of one graduate
and her 6-year old son with CP.

The mother of a boy with CP
learned how to elicit his
native learning process.
With teamwork + neuroplasticity
he learned to walk and talk.

NeuroHorizons delivers key concepts and tools distilled from my 30+ years as a movement practitioner, teacher, and trainer serving countless families and professionals across the Americas and Europe. My passion is to effectively share with you the attitudes and approaches that consistently lead to optimal outcomes for children (as well as for adults).

NeuroHorizons is the fully experiential program that emphasizes your development of an embodied, relational presence as the key to eliciting remarkable outcomes with the kids. This is the first and only comprehensive program to integrate the cognitive, experiential, hands-on, and practicum instruction you need to address the diverse circumstances faced by Children With Special Needs.

In short:

My sharp focus and tailored, expert curriculum mean you
quickly begin learning how to optimize the developmental trajectory of these great kids.
Even after their very first program segment, my seminar participants report striking results using what they learned
― empowering themselves to empower the child.

"Tummy Time" for my infant?
Or more time on their back?
You may be surprised!

"Tummy Time" for my infant?
Or more time on their back?
You May Be Surprised!

Should I impose “tummy time” on my infant? Or just let them freely explore on their back until they find their own way onto their belly?

I'm Sylvia Leiner Shordike of NeuroHorizons® Experiential Movement®. I want to talk to you about “tummy time”. I know this is a very interesting subject for a lot of young parents.

Parents are told often to put their infant on the belly, starting already at three weeks old sometimes. The idea is that will help the infant to gain strength, and that it will help the development of the infant.

Well, I would like to invite you to think about it differently. The key question I am asking you to think about? At this early age, what exactly is the infant learning when placed by the parent on the belly, compared to what she would be learning if she were instead freely exploring on her back?

These are important questions. Here I will be using videos of children and also of myself as a model. I hope these will help you be mindful about how the baby learns on her back some key developmental steps in ways that are not available when she is on the belly.

For those of you who don’t have the time to watch this short video, here are some key takeaways.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

These baby videos show how neurotypical infants will naturally learn by themselves to roll onto their belly, sometimes sooner, sometimes later. The infant learns this when they are feeling skilled enough, safe, and ready. They feel this AFTER they have spent lots of time on their back on the floor — they have fully engaged in neural mapping and activated their native learning process in ways that cannot happen on the belly.

On their back the baby is:
* Learning weight-shifting from side to side while developing a dynamic core;
* Learning to orient themselves in space and relate to gravity;
* Learning to roll the pelvis;
* Learning to flex, round, rotate, and twist the spine;
* Developing and integrating the flexor, extensor, and side muscles;
* Learning to roll the head, with the head in constant motion (no flat head);
* Learning to lift the head through the spine;
* Developing a mobile sternum and chest, with free breathing;
* Developing eyesight and focus (exploring hands and feet);
* All leading to ease, agency, curiosity, and the infant’s exploration of new options such as creeping and crawling.
* These are all building blocks — “simple” movements that allow for increasing complexity of movement and an optimal development.

A baby prematurely placed on their belly:

By contrast, when the infant is placed by the adult on their belly BEFORE they have learned to get there by themselves, neural mapping and the native learning process can be constrained, delayed, or even blocked altogether:

* The baby who is plopped down on their belly by the adult does not understand how they got there. In this position they are essentially stuck — they cannot freely move their head, shift their weight from side to side, breathe freely, or explore.

* The infant cannot yet fully engage or organize their muscles. They cannot lift the legs, arms, or head — this necessary organization is only learned later AFTER their weight-shifting exploration that is possible when on their back and sides.

* Random movement is limited, so neural mapping is limited, and the native learning process is constrained. The baby is not at ease or feeling safe or joyful.

* The “simple” building blocks for increasing complexity and optimal development are not available in this prematurely imposed and constrained position on the tummy.

In short:

It’s about the QUALITY of the child’s movement experiences, NOT formulas, protocols, and timelines.
The key is HOW the child arrives at a new milestone, not WHEN.

FREE RANDOM MOVEMENT ON THE BACK = NEURAL MAPPING = LEARNING
= AN OPTIMAL DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORY

Our task and challenge is to allow the child’s native learning process to unfold on its own unique timeline.
This maximizes neural mapping and optimizes the child’s developmental trajectory.
Unconstrained time on the back on the floor is critical to this development.

Please Note: The Fundamentals seminars are designed and presented for your personal learning goals. As with other movement education programs of our genre, these seminars do not offer or grant you any academic recognition, credit or credential, or opportunity for professional / governmental licensure. Nor will your completion of these experiential seminars by itself lead to employment or income in any job or occupation.

❂

¡Llegamos a México 5 noviembre!
lnformación en español

Te invitamos a
la nueva capacitación
en la Ciudad de México.

¡Ponerte en contacto!

☞ Sobre el trabajo y las Lecciones de Experiential Movement®: ⦿ Nuestro trabajo con los niños está basado en el innovador repertorio de lecciones de movimiento creado por el difunto Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais D.Sc. (1904-1984), y no son como cualquier otra terapia, sistema de ejercicio o rutina. Estas Lecciones son estructuradas para organizar mejor el cerebro y formar nuevos patrones de sensación , pensamiento y acción. A través de estas Lecciones usted o su hijo creará nuevas habilidades y destrezas y mejorar las ya existentes.

⦿ El cerebro del niño está casi siempre disponible para el aprendizaje potente, independientemente del reto del desarrollo o diagnóstico. Las lecciones de movimiento para niños se basan en el entendimiento de que muchas enfermedades y trastornos de la infancia interrumpen la conversación normal que debe ocurrir entre el cerebro del niño y el mundo a su alrededor.

⦿ A menudo es posible conseguir que la conversación se inicie de manera suave que se comunique directamente con el sistema nervioso del niño, principalmente a través del movimiento y las experiencias cinestésicas. A través de este proceso, las brechas de desarrollo causados por diversas condiciones y traumas mejoran.

⦿ Los niños con desafíos de desarrollo empiezan a llenar los vacíos y alcanzar la mejor trayectoria de desarrollo posible. Clientes aumentan su facilidad y amplitud de movimiento, y en el proceso reduce el dolor y mejorar la función, realza la flexibilidad y la coordinación, y redescubre la capacidad innata para el movimiento grácil, eficaz y cómodo.

⦿ Cada Lección es distinta, presentada con muchas variaciones de movimiento para crear un proceso de desarrollo-aprendizaje que conduce a cambios y mejoras rápidos. A través de una serie de Lecciones, usted o su hijo va a encontrarse más fuerte y más flexible, más despierto, más consciente, y más preparado para enfrentar los desafíos de la vida.
☞ Sobre mis Seminarios de NeuroHorizons® para padres: ⦿ He trabajado casi 30 años con cientos de niños que enfrentan desafíos diversos y a menudo profundos (por ejemplo, parálisis cerebral, derrame y daño cerebral, problemas cardíacos congénitos, lesión del plexo braquial, escoliosis, TDAH, espectro autista y trastornos genéticos). He visto numerosos cambios notables.

⦿ Naturalmente, ningún practicante puede en buena conciencia ofrecerle "milagros". En cambio, ofrezco un proceso, no un producto. A veces, el progreso puede ser bastante rápido, y a veces lento e incremental. Hay muchos factores, y yo considero las circunstancias únicas de cada niño.

⦿ ¿Cuál es mi enfoque? El cerebro no aprende solo a través de la repetición, y no responde positivamente al ser forzado. NeuroHorizons hace hincapié en la distinción entre "hacer" y "evocar". Si su hijo no puede rodar o gatear, sentarse, pararse en "cuatro patas", o ponerse de pie por sí mismo, no intentamos forzarlo a realizar esas posiciones o hacer movimientos repetitivos.

⦿ En su lugar, involucraremos al niño en un proceso de movimiento suave que proporciona el cerebro con las condiciones e informaciones necesarias para alcanzar los diferentes habilidades e hitos del desarrollo. A través de este proceso, el niño adquiere los elementos que faltaban y sobre los cuales se construyen las habilidades. Luego él o ella puede aprender espontáneamente a hacer lo que no podía hacer antes.

⦿ El desarrollo normal del niño es una progresión de aprendizaje; el cerebro debe saber ciertas cosas antes de que ocurra un desarrollo posterior. Ya sea que su niño tenga o no algún diagnóstico específico, es importante hacerle frente a los retos sin demora, para ayudar a su hijo a obtener la mejor trayectoria de desarrollo posible. Lecciones de NeuroHorizons pueden desempeñar un papel clave en este proceso de aprendizaje, sin importar la situación de su hijo.

To schedule individual movement lessons for your child:
Please contact me through the contact form on the Details page.

For a worldwide listing of movement educators applying principles of brain plasticity to advance the Child With Special Needs, please go to www.NeuroConnect.world

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NeuroHorizons® is the registered USA, EU, UK, and Mexico trademark of Sylvia Shordike. Experiential Movement®, A Child's Neural Map is Not the Territory®, and Embody. Envision. Elicit. Empower.® are registered USA trademarks of Sylvia Shordike.

Feldenkrais® and Feldenkrais Method® are registered USA trademarks of Feldenkrais Guild Corporation California.

Anat Baniel Method® and NeuroMovement® are registered USA trademarks of Movement Coordination Learning, Inc. DBA Anat Baniel Method Corporation.

Sylvia is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner(CM) and a Certified Anat Baniel Method® NeuroMovement® Childrens Mastery Practitioner. She is the founder of the NeuroHorizons Experiential Movement learning programs in the Americas and Europe.

The NeuroHorizons programs are neither affiliated with, nor sponsored or endorsed by, the Feldenkrais Guild or Anat Baniel or the Anat Baniel Method.