Children
Toddlers
22 November, 2025
Almost all infants have flat feet until they are around three years of age. This is believed to be due to two factors. Firstly, children have loose ligaments which allow the arches to collapse. Secondly, children have a pad of fatty tissue which sits in the foot and hides the arch. After 3 years of age, as your child gets stronger and less bendy and the fat pad resolves, arches begin to appear. A child’s arch is fully formed at 10 years of age. Often, you can see your child’s (hidden) arch before this. Try asking your child to stand on their tippy toes (or hold a favourite toy out of reach). When your child stands on tippy toes you should see an arch form. You may also see an arch in their foot when they are sitting with their feet dangling.
Whether your child develops an arch or not is genetically determined. A significant number of adults have flat feet and most will have no pain or complications. Children without arches do not generally need insoles or special shoes and research has shown that insoles will not help an arch form. Your child’s foot shape is genetically determined.
While your child’s feet are not painful, you don’t need to do anything and they do not require specialist footwear. Rarely children with flat arches will develop foot pain in which case they they should see a physiotherapist in the first instance to see if this is due to tight muscles or a rare bony issue. Only when underlying muscle and bony issues are ruled out, should a child consider a insole for flat feet. Flat feet should not affect your child’s motor skills. Usain Bolt, one of the fastest people in the world, has flat feet. Check out photos of his feet on Google!!!
Autism
Children
April is Autism Awareness Month, a time to increase understanding of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In Australia, over 205,000 people are affected by autism. Children with ASD often face challenges with movement and motor skills, and physiotherapists play a crucial role in providing support.
Children
Did you know that the Queensland Government is supporting families to access up to $200 in FairPlay Vouchers to help cover the cost of sports and recreation activities for kids? 🎉 This is a great opportunity to support your child’s physical development and encourage an active lifestyle!
Children
Toddlers
While most children are naturally more flexible than adults, some are particularly bendy. When a child’s joints move beyond the typical range, this is called hypermobility. People with hypermobility are often casually described as “double-jointed.”