14 September 2026
What does a physio look for in a child's posture?
What does a physio look for in a child's posture? Four things, and all four are visible from behind: head tilt, shoulders sitting at different heights, one hip dropped lower than the other, and a sideways curve through the spine. Every body is built differently, so the ideal is different from person to person. What is important is whether the left side is doing roughly what the right side is doing.
Before that, the four o'clock problem. The same child who read beautifully at ten in the morning comes home, sits at the table, and cannot sit still. Most of us read that as attitude. It usually is not.
This segment explores what needs to take place for learning to occur. The brain needs to be actively working the problem out rather than being walked through the steps, and the body needs to be settled enough to let the information in. This ties into sensory processing, identifying when you are overstimulated or understimulated and how to get into the optimal zone for learning.
Topics covered: children's posture, good posture for kids, posture check, scoliosis in children, curved spine, uneven shoulders, head tilt, torticollis, hip drop, leg length difference, flexible versus structural curve, sensory processing, sensory regulation, over stimulated child, under stimulated child, self regulation, optimal zone for learning, why my child cannot concentrate after school, paediatric physiotherapy, early intervention, Campbelltown, Macarthur, NSW.
Read more from Aderet Therapy
Sources behind this episode
The posture and scoliosis material is Aderet Therapy's own clinical practice, written by the paediatric physiotherapy team in Campbelltown, and the clinic's own Backpack Safety article and Posture Check article is linked above and named in the episode. The scoliosis facts are checked against healthdirect on scoliosis (reviewed July 2025) and the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network scoliosis factsheet.
In this episode
- 00:00 - Intro
- 01:09 - Song: A Little Up, A Little Down
- 03:11 - Optimal Zone of Learning
- 08:57 - Song: You Have Known It All Along
- 10:59 - Posture and Scoliosis
- 15:34 - Song: Left Like The Right
- 17:46 - Wrap up
About the show
Aderet Therapy Weekly is a short weekly podcast for parents of babies and young children, from the paediatric physiotherapy team at Aderet Therapy in Campbelltown, in the Macarthur region of south west Sydney, NSW. Every episode takes one thing parents worry about, explains what is actually known about it, and says plainly what is not known. No judgement, no jargon, no scare tactics.
Aderet Therapy: paediatric physiotherapy, early intervention key worker support, communication physiotherapy and AAC, aquatic physiotherapy, equipment prescription, school holiday programs, and the free Little Movers League community sessions. NDIS, Medicare and private health.
Contact
- Website: aderettherapy.com.au
- Phone: 02 4949 7276
- Address: Suite 10, 261 Queen Street, Campbelltown NSW 2560
Disclaimer
Everything in this episode is general information only. Every child is unique, and nothing here replaces a conversation with your GP, your child and family health nurse, or your physiotherapist.
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Left Like The Right
Is the left doing what the right is doing? A song about what a physio looks for in a child's posture, where symmetry matters more than a perfect way to stand.
A Little Up, A Little Down
A song about self regulation - when the child who read beautifully at ten cannot take a word in at four, and the dial that brings them back down.
You Have Known It All Along
A self regulation song for parents who already do it daily - the slow start by the kettle, the walk after good news - while their child learns by watching.