About us

Shelley Birkett-Eyles, started Hemispheres in 2003 because of her keen interest in the brain and how it influences development and learning in childhood leading her to explore and research into the primitive and postural reflexes. Shelley's first experience working with the primitive reflexes was in the mid 1990's when she worked with young adults with Creutzfedt-Jacob Disease at Queen Square in London. The influence these reflexes imposed on the body sparked an area of keen interest for Shelley and she continue to research their role in the Central Nervous System (CNS) and their role in establishing the neurological system in young children.

After specialising in Neurology and Neurosurgery, life took a turn and Shelley moved to Australia for several years where she spent time exploring the different areas of paediatric occupational therapy as well as alternative ways of helping children learn. Nothing replaced her love of neurology and in 2003, Shelley returned to the UK and established Hemispheres Movement for Learning as a leading occupational therapy practice working with the Primitive and Postural reflexes in children. 

Shelley is always expanding her awareness and knowledge of the reflexes and their role within the development, continuing her educational journey with other like minded professionals and following the latest research.  

Shelley remains a hands on clinician and runs clinics in Surrey and Hampshire.  When not in clinic, Shelley is often on courses with other practitioners, training and teaching other practitioners how to work with reflexes or building resources for her joint venture @PrimtiveReflexes, a free Youtube site for parents, therapist and other practitioners who wish to know more about reflexes. 

In addition to establishing an growing Hemispheres, Shelley has developed the Hemispheres Think Write Handwriting Programme,  which is used in school sin the UK, Middle East and Malaysia. She has written a motor programme using principles of reflex integration for schools, called the Movement Balance and Learning Programme. 

Shelley graduated from Oxford Brooks University in 1992. She spent 10 years working in Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery before expanding into Paediatrics. A strong neurological focus remains paramount in the work she is currently developing in Hemispheres and this foundation provides a unique focus for the therapy we offer.

She has completed courses with Dr Robert Melillo, Harold Blomberg (Rhythmic Movement Training), The School Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (School AMPS), Assessment of Motor Process Skills (AMPS), Normal Movement (Bobath), Developing Brains Functional Neurology Course (Darren Barnes-Heath), Sensory Processing, Auditory Processing, MNRI (Masgutova), Talk Tools for feeding, Interception (Kelly Mahler) to name just a few.