Telling a child to stand up straight does not work because posture is not something we consciously control. It is governed by the unconscious brain, just like breathing and heart rate. When posture is poor, the brain and body are not communicating properly. That is what we work on.
In clinic at Mill Hill, London. Also available remotely for families worldwide.
Posture is governed by the unconscious brain. The same part of the brain that controls breathing and heart rate decides where your child's body sits in space. Telling a child to stand up straight is like telling them to manually control their own heartbeat. It simply does not work that way.
The brain uses two key inputs to organise posture: feedback from the feet about what the ground is doing, and feedback from the eyes about where the horizon is. When either of those inputs is unreliable, the whole postural system compensates. And those compensations show up everywhere: in the way a child holds their head, how they sit, how they move and how much energy it costs them just to get through a school day.
For children with autism, ADHD and developmental challenges, this is particularly common. The nervous system is already working overtime. Poor postural input makes everything harder.
"Think of it like this: the feet are the wheels and the eyes are the steering wheel. If either is misaligned, the whole car compensates, and eventually something breaks down."
Most of these are dismissed as habits, growth phases or just how the child is built. But they are usually the body's way of compensating for something the brain is not processing correctly.
Toe walking is worth a specific mention. It is common in children with autism and often happens because the pelvis is tilted forward, which shifts weight onto the balls of the feet. It is not a habit. It is a postural compensation driven by an overactive stress response in the nervous system. And it responds well to this kind of work.
Eye muscle imbalances affect around nine in ten people, most of whom have no idea. For children, this shows up as difficulty tracking lines when reading, losing their place on the page, struggling with handwriting and finding visual tasks exhausting. Eye imbalances also directly affect posture, because the brain compensates by adjusting the head and spine to find a stable visual field.
Around 72% of people have some form of foot imbalance, most without realising it. The feet send constant signals to the spinal muscles and brain about body position. When that information is distorted, the whole postural chain above it compensates: knees, hips, spine, neck, jaw. For children this can show up as growing pains, frequent tripping, poor coordination and difficulty sitting still.
Poor postural alignment keeps the nervous system in a low level stress state. When the body is constantly working to hold itself upright against poor input, it drains resources that should be available for thinking, learning and emotional regulation. This is one of the reasons children with poor posture are often described as tired, easily overwhelmed or unable to concentrate for any length of time.
This programme was designed by orthopaedic surgeon Bernard Bricot and combines four specific elements, each addressing a different part of the postural system. Used together they produce changes that no single approach achieves on its own.
These are not orthotics and they do not prop the foot into position. They use galvanic technology and magnets to stimulate the proprioceptors in the feet, which send more accurate signals to the brain about body position. The nervous system then adjusts posture naturally, without the child having to think about it or try harder.
Specific eye movement exercises done regularly retrain the eye muscles and improve the accuracy of the visual information the brain uses to organise posture. Parents are consistently surprised to find that a few minutes of eye exercises a day has visible effects on the way their child holds their head and body, often within weeks.
Retained primitive reflexes are a major driver of postural problems in children with autism and ADHD. When reflexes that should have integrated in infancy are still active, they create tension patterns in the body that no amount of stretching or strengthening can resolve. Integrating them removes the underlying cause of many postural compensations.
Specific body exercises complement the insoles and eye work, building the muscle patterns that support good posture once the brain is receiving better input. Regular monitoring sessions allow us to adjust the programme as your child progresses and ensure the changes are building in the right direction.
Posture is connected to focus, energy, pain, coordination and emotional regulation. When it improves, parents notice changes they did not expect.
Because the brain is now receiving accurate input, the body finds its natural alignment. The improvement is automatic, not effortful.
When the body is no longer constantly compensating for poor input, the energy that was going into staying upright becomes available for everything else.
The low level nervous system stress that comes with postural misalignment begins to reduce. Many parents notice their child is calmer and more focused as a result.
Clumsiness and poor balance often improve alongside posture. When the brain is getting better positional information, movement becomes more controlled and confident.
Eye muscle imbalances that made reading and handwriting effortful improve as the eye exercises take effect. Tracking a line of text becomes less of a physical battle.
Back pain, neck tension and leg aches that were driven by postural compensation often reduce noticeably as the alignment improves at its root.
"Dana and Adi are a great team, incredibly knowledgeable and supportive. Even after completing the week they continued supporting us, answering any concerns with confidence and care. They always found a way to help our son and gave us the strength to do the same at home."
"After implementing everything we learned at home we saw real improvement. He is calmer, his focus has improved, he's exploring everything around the house which he wasn't doing before, and his sleep has improved. Definitely recommended."
"Very caring and truly have your best interests at heart. Check ins from Dana help to keep you focused with working on programmes at home and they are always there with support and any extra questions. Highly recommend."
If your question is not here, book a free call and we will talk it through with you directly.
Book a free call →Posture is governed by the unconscious brain, not conscious effort. Asking a child to stand up straight is asking them to override a system they have no direct access to. It works briefly when they think about it and fails the moment they do not. What we do instead is give the brain better input, through the feet and the eyes, so the system naturally finds a better default position on its own.
They are not standard orthotics. They use galvanic technology and magnets to stimulate the proprioceptors in the soles of the feet, which are the sensors that send positional information to the brain and spinal muscles. When this input is more accurate, the brain makes better postural adjustments automatically. The child does not have to think about it or try to hold themselves differently. The nervous system does the work.
Yes. Toe walking in children with autism is almost always connected to a forward pelvic tilt, which shifts weight onto the balls of the feet and causes the heels to lift. This happens because the nervous system is stuck in a heightened stress state. By correcting the postural alignment and reducing the nervous system load through our approach, we consistently see meaningful improvements in toe walking. It is not a habit to break. It is a compensation to resolve at its root.
The eyes are one of the brain's two main sources of postural information. When the eye muscles are imbalanced, the brain compensates by adjusting the position of the head and spine to find a stable visual horizon. This creates chronic tension and misalignment. Retraining the eye muscles through regular tracking exercises corrects this input at its source, and posture improves as a result. Many parents are surprised to see postural changes from what looks like a simple eye exercise.
Yes. The assessment and initial consultation can be done online for families who are not able to visit our clinic in Mill Hill, London. The insoles are sent to you, the eye and body exercises are delivered via video, and we provide regular remote check ins to monitor progress and adjust the programme. Many families outside London complete the whole programme this way.
The programme is structured as an annual plan with regular consultations to monitor progress and adjust as needed. Meaningful postural changes take time because we are working with the nervous system, not the muscles directly. Most families notice visible changes within the first few months, with more significant and lasting improvement over the course of the year.
Yes. Children with ADHD often have significant postural challenges connected to nervous system dysregulation, primitive reflex retention and sensory processing difficulties. The same factors that drive poor posture in children with autism are present in many children with ADHD. The programme is adapted to each child's specific profile and needs.
Book a free 15 minute call with Adi or Dana. We will listen to what you are seeing with your child, explain whether the Posture Wellness programme is right for them, and answer every question you have. No pressure, no commitment.
📍 1A Hall Lane, Mill Hill, London NW4 4TJ · 🌍 Remote support worldwide · Mon to Sat 9am to 2pm
