A baby sits upright on the floor, with legs spread and hands resting on their lap, demonstrating early trunk posture control. This image relates to Progressive GaitWays' free course, Pediatric Trunk Posture, which teaches clinicians how to assess and support trunk alignment for functional motor development in young children.
PEDIATRIC POSTURE FRAMEWORK: ESSENTIAL ASSESSMENT SKILL

Pediatric Trunk Posture: The Significance of Extension

Stop guessing. Start learning how to systematically identify the root causes of postural dysfunction in every pediatric patient.

1.25 Hours—$38—60-Day Access

Enroll Now for $38

Expand Your Pediatric Trunk Posture Assessment

Does this sound familiar?

You're evaluating a 6-year-old who can't sit upright at his desk without bracing through his shoulders.

His caregiver says he fatigues within 20 minutes. They are asking when he'll be able to participate in activities like other kids.

You can SEE something's wrong with his trunk control. But you're not entirely sure if what you're looking at is developmental immaturity that will resolve, compensatory patterns from poor postural control, or something that needs immediate intervention.

So you document "continue core strengthening" and hope the generic exercises you learned in grad school will somehow work better this time.

But deep down, you know you're missing something.

You're not alone. And it's not your fault.

Most PT and OT programs give you surface-level postural assessment training—enough to identify that something's wrong, but not enough to understand the developmental story the child's body is telling you.

That changes today.

Essential Assessment Skills for Pediatric Therapists

Pediatric Posture Framework

This 1.25-hour intensive training teaches you the systematic framework for assessing pediatric trunk posture—the same methodology internationally recognized specialist Billi Cusick, PT, MS has refined over 50+ years treating children with cerebral palsy, hypotonia, and complex neuromotor dysfunction.

By the end of this training, you'll be able to:

✅ Identify the relationship between body sway detection, postural control, and effective limb use — understand why kids can't perform functional tasks

✅ Relate postural alignment and malalignment to the sensory information stream — discover why "core strengthening" fails when the real issue is sensory processing

✅ Distinguish defective postural control from limb muscle contracture formation — critical for documentation and justifying extended treatment to insurance

✅ Apply the principles of Targeted Training as a postural-control management strategy — bridge assessment to systematic intervention

Enroll Now for $38

WHAT TO EXPECT

Lesson 1: Introduction to Sensorimotor Development

Understand the complex enterprise of sensorimotor development and the multiple sciences that explain balance and movement skill achievement.

Lesson 2: Healthy Movement's Foundation: Postural Alignment & Control

Learn what postural control actually is, how it begins in the drive for verticality, and the critical role of antigravity righting reactions.

Lesson 3: Proximal Stability Grants Distal Mobility

Discover how postural control is acquired sequentially through play, the role of sensory engagement, and why early acquisition of bilateral, symmetrical antigravity extension is essential.

Lesson 4: Fundamental Components of Antigravity Extension and Flexion Combine to Produce Movement

Learn how extension and flexion work together to create movement, understand ideal prone and supine weight shifts, and learn the developmental progression from prone to sitting positions.

Lesson 5: Deficits in Postural Alignment & Control

Explore how postural control status impacts limb muscle tone, selective motor control, and joint ROM—plus the working hypothesis about sensory system deficits and compensatory strategies in children with CP.

Lesson 6: Assessing Postural Alignment & Control

Learn practical assessment techniques, including quantifying thoracic kyphosis using photos and angle finders, evaluating the postural control/limb use relationship, and understanding reliable postural control tests for children.

Lesson 7: Using TheraTogs to Improve Pediatric Alignment & Postural Control

Understand how orthotic garments and strapping systems can maintain improved functioning alignment, optimize the base of support, and apply multiple sciences for long-term adaptation.

Customer reviews
Excellent review of the development of postural control. I particularly liked the views of sitting, that it is abnormal to place hands as baby's do when placed too young. Really enjoyed it all and will be sharing!
— Vickie Meade
A speedy/digestible review of typical development and atypical postural control strategies that is immediately applicable in the clinic. Billi is thorough, concise, and provides application in every course she offers. Wonderful!
— Katie Harper
Excellent to go back to basics! and remind oneself of the importance of trunk control and posture/alignment; some real gems and gold nuggets of info in here. thank you so much for sharing.
— Samantha Schonknecht

Over 1,000 therapists have invested in this training

And here's what they discovered: $38 gets you not just 1.5 CEUs, but a complete system for pediatric orthopedic assessment—plus access to the course for an entire year from the date you enroll. 

Compare that to:

1️⃣ A weekend CEU conference: $400-$800 for generic content you'll never use

2️⃣ Your hourly billable rate: probably $80-$150+

3️⃣ The cost of referring out just ONE complex case you could have confidently treated

If this training helps you confidently assess and treat even ONE patient you would have otherwise referred out, it pays for itself 3-5 times over.

Plus, pediatric specialists with advanced certifications are in high demand.

Here's Everything You Get

Core Training

1.25-hour comprehensive video training with Billi Cusick
Systematic assessment framework across 8 detailed lessons
Real case study demonstrations
1.5 CEU contact hours (AOTA-approved)

Enroll Now for $38
Here's Everything You Get

Professional Resources

60-Day access to all course materials
Downloadable course handout (precise replica of presentation slides)
Certificate of completion
Discussion function for questions and comments

Enroll Now for $38
Continuing Education Credits

Earn CEU Credits Online

PHYSICAL THERAPISTS: Upon course completion, you’ll earn a total of 1.25 contact hours which are accepted for PT continuing education credits in 40+ states. Visit our CEU information page for the most up to date CE approval information on this course.

FOR ORTHOTISTS/PROSTHETIST: This on-demand online course earns you 1.5 scientific credits through the American Board for Certification (ABC).

FOR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS: Progressive GaitWays, LLC is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development. PD activity approval ID#8882. This Distance Learning-Independent activity is offered at .125 CEUs, at the introductory educational level in the OT Service Delivery and Foundational Knowledge Categories. AOTA does not endorse specific course content, products, or clinical procedures.

Enroll Now for $38

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I'm an OT, not a PT. Is this relevant to me?

A: Absolutely. The trunk assessment principles apply to both PT and OT practice. We have numerous OTs in our alumni community who use this framework daily.

Q: How long do I have to complete the course?

A: You have 60 days from enrollment. Most clinicians complete it in one sitting (approximately 1.25 hours). Many tell us they wish they'd taken it years earlier.

Q: Will this teach me treatment techniques?

A: This course focuses on assessment—understanding what you're seeing and why it matters. It introduces Targeted Training principles and TheraTogs application. It's the foundation for our signature intervention program, Developmental Orthopedics (DevOrtho).

Q: What's the next step after this course?

Most graduates progress to our signature Developmental Orthopedics (DevOrtho) program, which teaches comprehensive developmental orthopedic assessment and evidence-based management planning. For our OT friends, we have a two-session course that is AOTA-approved.

Q: Is there support if I have questions?

Yes! The course includes a discussion function where you can post questions. You can also email with any other questions or course inquiries.

Meet Your Instructor:

Billi Cusick, PT, MS, NDT, COF/BOC

Billi Cusick is an internationally recognized pediatric physical therapist specializing in the orthopedic development and orthotic management of children with cerebral palsy and neuromotor deficits.

Her Legacy:

  • 50+ years in the profession
  • 12,000+ participants trained across the globe
  • 460+ courses and guest lectures taught worldwide
  • Countless lives changed through evidence-based practice

She has presented by invitation for the APTA, AACPDM, AOPA, and AAOP, and is an Associate Professor for the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions – Pediatrics Program.

Billi received her BS in PT from Bouve College at Northeastern University in Boston, MA in 1972, and her MS in Clinical and College Teaching for Allied Health Professionals from the University of Kentucky in Lexington in 1988. She is NDT basic- and baby-trained.

Billi's systematic approach to pediatric postural assessment has become the gold standard for therapists worldwide who specialize in complex neuromotor cases.

Stop Feeling Stuck with Complex Cases

Every week you wait is another week of:

❌ Generic "core strengthening" documentation that doesn't reflect what you're really seeing

❌ Parents losing confidence because you can't clearly explain what's wrong

❌ Referring out complex cases to specialists who know something you don't

❌ Missing orthopedic connections that will impact your patients long-term

You became a therapist to help kids reach their potential. This training gives you the assessment framework to actually do that.

Questions? Contact us.

Enroll Now for $38