What Is Tuned Motor Development™? The Performance-Based Approach to Communication and Motor Control
April 2026
Belle Custer
Reliable expression begins when the body has a dependable pathway to communicate what the mind intends to say.
Communication is a motor skill.
At MoDev8™, Communication focuses on creating access for nonspeaking, minimally speaking, and unreliably speaking individuals through purposeful motor development.
This field integrates Spelling to Communicate (S2C) with strategic motor coaching to help individuals build the gross motor skills needed to point to letters, spell on letterboards, and progress toward typing on a keyboard.
Many individuals know what they want to say but cannot consistently rely on speech or fine motor output to express their thoughts.
Challenges with initiation, sequencing, motor planning, regulation, and body control can interfere with communication — even when language, comprehension, and intelligence are present.
Communication access begins by reducing unnecessary motor demands and building a more reliable pathway for expression.
Through the Tuned Motor Development™ framework, MoDev8 supports communication by developing purposeful motor skills that make expression more accurate, consistent, and increasingly independent.
Sessions may focus on improving:
purposeful pointing
motor sequencing
initiation
regulation
body control
letterboard accuracy
prompt fading
keyboard progression
communication stamina
independent expression
As these skills develop, individuals gain greater access to education, relationships, self-advocacy, and meaningful participation in daily life.
nonspeaking communication needs
minimally speaking communication needs
unreliable speech
motor planning challenges
difficulty initiating purposeful movement
inconsistent pointing or targeting
regulation barriers
limited access to education
reduced independence in expression
need for AAC-based communication support
“At MoDev8, communication is not viewed as a behavior to manage or a skill limited to speech. Communication is treated as a purposeful motor process that can be developed, supported, and strengthened.”
Programming is individualized based on the individual’s current communication access, motor reliability, regulation, and long-term goals.
Some participants may be developing foundational pointing and letterboard accuracy, while others may be progressing toward typing, academic participation, relationship-building, and more independent communication across environments.
As motor communication becomes more reliable, individuals are often better able to express thoughts, answer questions, participate in learning, build relationships, advocate for themselves, and engage more meaningfully with the world around them.
The ultimate goal is to create a dependable pathway between thought and expression — giving individuals greater access to communication, education, connection, and purposeful participation.
Athletic Performance focuses on building movement patterns that are strong, efficient, and consistent across every level of physical demand.
Strong. Efficient. Repeatable.
At MoDev8™, this field uses the Tuned Motor Development™ framework to develop strength, coordination, endurance, mobility, stability, and control. The goal is not simply to move more, but to move better — with greater consistency, confidence, and purpose.
Performance limitations often show up when the body cannot consistently organize movement under physical, cognitive, or environmental demand. This may appear as reduced coordination, inefficient mechanics, poor endurance, instability, limited mobility, or increased injury risk.
When movement patterns are inconsistent, performance becomes harder to sustain.
Through structured, progression-based training, MoDev8 helps individuals develop the physical systems needed for reliable movement and performance.
Sessions may focus on improving:
strength
coordination
endurance
mobility
stability
balance
power
movement efficiency
body awareness
control under demand
As these systems improve, individuals are often able to move with greater confidence, reduce compensation patterns, and perform more consistently across sports, training, daily life, and higher-level physical environments.
coordination challenges
inefficient movement patterns
reduced strength or stability
limited mobility
decreased endurance
poor balance or body control
increased injury risk
difficulty maintaining performance under demand
inconsistent mechanics
lack of confidence in physical movement
“At MoDev8, athletic performance extends beyond sports. It is about training the body to execute with consistency, confidence, and control in any physical demand — from foundational movement to advanced performance.”
Programming is individualized based on the current stage of development, physical capacity, movement quality, and long-term performance goals of the individual.
Some participants may be developing foundational strength, coordination, and control, while others may be refining advanced movement efficiency, power, precision, and performance under higher levels of demand.
As movement becomes stronger, more efficient, and more repeatable, individuals are often better able to access higher levels of confidence, resilience, athletic ability, and physical performance.
The ultimate goal is to build a body that can respond with purpose — moving with strength, control, and consistency across any environment.
Motor Regulation is the foundation of all purposeful performance.
The Foundation Of Purposeful Performance
At MoDev8™, this field focuses on developing the underlying systems responsible for coordination, control, regulation, and efficient movement. Before an individual can consistently communicate, learn, compete, or perform at a high level, the nervous system must first be capable of organizing and sustaining purposeful action.
Many individuals experience challenges not because of a lack of intelligence, motivation, or desire, but because the body is unable to reliably execute what the mind intends to do. Difficulties with initiation, regulation, sequencing, attention, coordination, and motor output can interfere with communication, academic participation, athletic development, emotional regulation, and daily life performance.
Through the Tuned Motor Development™ framework, MoDev8 utilizes structured, progression-based programming designed to strengthen the connection between the brain and body.
Sessions focus on improving:
• body awareness •
• movement efficiency •
• motor planning •
• coordination •
• timing, control •
• nervous system organization •
As these systems become more regulated and integrated, individuals are often able to access higher levels of consistency, independence, and performance across multiple environments.
• motor coordination challenges •
• regulation and attention difficulties •
• inconsistent motor output •
• impaired initiation or sequencing •
• athletic performance limitations •
• communication-related motor barriers •
• reduced body awareness and control •
• difficulty sustaining purposeful action •
“At MoDev8, regulation is not viewed as passive calming or behavioral management alone. Regulation is treated as an active neurological and physiological process that directly impacts a person’s ability to think, move, communicate, learn, and perform.”
Programming is individualized based on the current stage of development, performance capacity, and long-term goals of the individual. Some participants may be building foundational control and body organization, while others may be refining high-level movement efficiency, coordination, precision, and performance under increasing cognitive or physical demand.
As regulation improves, individuals are often better able to access communication, learning, social engagement, athletic development, emotional stability, and independent performance. The ultimate goal is to develop greater reliability between intention and action — creating stronger access to purposeful movement, expression, and performance in everyday life.