Many children who are short for their age will be normal in height as adults and have no disorder other than some delay in the timing of their growth. However, there are a variety of medical conditions that can also stunt growth and result in short stature.
Being short does not mean that your child has a health problem. A short child is defined as any child whose height is less than the 3rd percentile for his or her cohort. A quick check with your doctor will let you know if your child's growth and height are acceptable.
In the female body, they usually finish developing completely around age 16 and sometime between ages 14 and 19 for the male body. That means you can't really make yourself taller once you've reached adulthood. It's still possible to experience small daily variations in height.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, short stature means an estimated final height below 5 feet 3 inches for boys or 4 feet 11 inches for girls.
The genetics of height
If they are tall or short, then your own height is said to end up somewhere based on the average heights between your two parents. Genes aren't the sole predictor of a person's height. In some instances, a child might be much taller than their parents and other relatives.
Many disorders can cause short stature, including achondroplasia, hormone deficiency, delayed puberty, Cushing's disease, malnutrition, malabsorption disorders, such as celiac disease, and others. A child must be examined by a health care provider if short stature is suspected or present.
A common reason is familial short stature, which means the parents are short. Constitutional delay in growth and puberty is another cause, which means the child is a late bloomer. It's not unusual for someone who has been small all their life to suddenly have a growth spurt late in high school.
A family history of short stature
If parents or other family members have short stature, it's common for a child to grow at a slower rate than their peers. Delayed growth due to family history isn't an indication of an underlying problem. The child may be shorter than average simply because of genetics.
(2) Try this: Girls are half of their adult height at 18 months of age, while boys are half of their adult height at 24 months of age.
Teens might have slower growth if they: don't get enough protein, calories, and other nutrients in their diet. have a long-lasting (chronic) medical condition, such as problems with the kidneys, heart, lungs, and intestines. have sickle cell anemia.
Foods high in protein, vitamin D, and calcium are all key elements. There is no magic bullet, but eat these foods to help maximize your child's height… Plant-based protein – Protein is key for your child and has the biggest impact upon height. Nuts, nut-butters, beans and lentils, are all excellent sources of protein.
Many children who are short for their age will be normal in height as adults and have no disorder other than some delay in the timing of their growth. However, there are a variety of medical conditions that can also stunt growth and result in short stature.
Essentially, if you have any reason to be worried about your child's growth you should see your doctor. The best known cause is growth hormone deficiency, which can be treated, but there are others, including some genetic syndromes.
The most common causes of short stature beyond the first year or two of life are familial (genetic) short stature and delayed (constitutional) growth, which are normal, nonpathologic variants of growth.
If parents or other family members have short stature, it's common for a child to grow at a slower rate than their peers. Delayed growth due to family history isn't an indication of an underlying problem. The child may be shorter than average simply because of genetics.
Having short parents did not increase the probability of being small as an adult. Children with delayed puberty were as likely to remain small as those in whom puberty was not delayed. Conclusions: One in three normal children who was short or underweight at age 7 became a short or underweight adult.
All puberty variables had high internal consistency. In girls, earlier age of menarche, breast development, and growth spurt were related to shorter height. In boys, earlier age of growth spurt and slower progression through puberty were related to taller height at age 18 years.
The primary symptom that may indicate a growth problem is when a child grows less than 2 inches a year after his second birthday. Other symptoms may include: slow development of physical skills, such as rolling over, sitting up, standing, and walking. delayed social and mental skills.
According to data from the respected Children of the Nineties health study which looked at growth rates up to the age of ten, those in larger families tending to be shorter than average, and the youngest child the shortest of all on reaching their tenth birthday.
Some of the reasons growth development may slow include: Genetics. When a child's parents and grandparents are short, the child may also be short; this is known as familial short stature. Also, the target height is merely an estimate and some children simply don't grow as tall as expected.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines child as, "A human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier.” This is ratified by 192 of 194 member countries.
Slow growth occurs when a child is not growing at the average rate for their age. The delay may be due to an underlying health condition, such as growth hormone deficiency. Some growth problems are genetic. Others are caused by a hormonal disorder or the inadequate absorption of food.
Stunted growth: what actually causes it? The most direct causes are inadequate nutrition (not eating enough or eating foods that lack growth-promoting nutrients) and recurrent infections or chronic or diseases which cause poor nutrient intake, absorption or utilization.
A major growth spurt happens at the time of puberty, usually between 8 to 13 years of age in girls and 10 to 15 years in boys.