A growth problem is suspected

• If your baby is abnormally small at birth
• If your child’s height is below the lower limit of normal on a growth chart
• If the child’s height-gain is less than 4cms per year from the age of 6 years till onset of puberty and less than 6-7cms/year during puberty.
• If the child is crossing percentiles on the growth chart in the downward direction,
  it means that your child may not be growing normally and needs to be evaluated.

If your child’s height has never been measured, a growth problem may be suspected if:

• Your child is one of the shortest in his/her class
• Your child’s growth over a year has been insignificant
• The child is not outgrowing his/her clothes
• His/her shoe size is not changed for a long time

Importance of early identification of growth disorders

Early identification and intervention for growth disorders is very important. The earlier the problem is caught, better the results of treatment. Waiting for puberty may cause unnecessary delay and it may be too late to intervene.

The best way of identifying a growth problem is by regular measurement of height. Your child’s pediatrician or family physician can do this easily. The same person should preferably measure height with the same measuring device.

In summary, if your child’s height is significant shorter than his (her) peers and his genetic potential, it is worthy to have your child evaluated by his medical doctor in order to rule out some conditions which might be easily corrected.