Ok, so my son has autism and we found this out back in October of 2007. Today my daughter had her four year check up and I love her doctor, he is the best and I would never second guess him or trade him for the world! Last year Bella weighed 25.1 lbs and was 35.5 in. tall. This year she is 28.1 lbs and 35.5 in. tall. The weight is great, my kids have always been at or around the low percentage on weight because thier metabolism is fast and they are so active, so my issue isn't there. It's that she stayed at 35.5 inches tall and has not grown a single inch in a year. The doctor is running tests to figure out what is going on, he thinks she may have an issue with her thyroid or something. What do you mom's think? Maybe I am over reacting but she is my baby, she is four and I am woried about her. What could cause a child not to grow??? She eats well, I make three meals per day, we don't eat out and she has her snacks. I feel like I am breaking my kids or something, any ideas on what could cause a child not to gain height? By the way, no one on my husbands side or my side ever had this issue. Thank you in advance for your help.
Dr. Benzick called today with the test results and everything is normal on Bella. I asked him if maybe they measured wrong last year and he said that is at the back of his head. He plans to recheck her again in six months just to be safe. Thank you all for your help. :-)
First of all dont beat yourself up about this all.
Get the test run and make sure everything is working right then put the rest in Gods hands.
Good luck
Please make sure they test for celiac disease. My older son was always on the lower end of the scale for weight, but by the time he was 8-9, he stopped growing and so did his brother. Celiac is a genetic disease (most common one) and it's an intolerance to gluten (the protein in wheat, rye, barley and oats). You may be familiar with it as a gluten-free/casein-free diet tends to work really well for autistic kids. And, it seems that we celiacs share some of the genes with autistic kids as my oldest was on the Asperger's end of the spectrum.
Both my kids were eating well, but with celiac (as is often the case with autism), the gut is damaged so the nutrients are not being absorbed. Once my oldest went on the GF/CF diet, he gained 10 pounds and grew 2 inches in 6 months. He's continued to grow at that rate for almost 5 years. At two, the doctor had said he would be petite (he was watched closely the first two years as he never did grow well). Now, at 15, he is 6'4" tall.
You should be aware that blood tests for celiac are not as accurate as a stool test and few doctors run the complete celiac panel. Also, many will ignore an elevated IgG if other of the tests are negative, however, this still means that your child's immune system is reacting to gluten, they've just not reached the end stage of the disease. Thus, I recommend this stool test: www.enterolab.com
It's 100% accurate for celiac and will also catch those folks that either haven't reached the end stage or have gluten intolerance, which may never impact the gut, but does impact the nervous system/brain and also can result in the organs/glands such as the thyroid being impacted.
As for the thyroid, my older son has just been diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid disease, but again blood tests are often not accurate - his labs were perfect. It was only when my doctor did a sonogram that she could see dozens of nodules - clear signs that his thyroid was being destroyed by his own body.
So, even if they do find a thyroid problem, your daughter may well have both issues, so please don't just accept one diagnosis - make sure they're thorough. Genetically, both these problems are very common - there's tons of medical/scientific research on this topic.
And, if they don't find a problem and just tell you that your daughter is "just that way", please find another doctor. Mothers always know when something isn't quite right and it's the good doctors that realize this (I've heard the good ones say this - if they would just listen to what the mother has to say!)
I know how tough it is to realize that your kids have to deal with these things, just as you've realized with your son. But, in my mind, the fact that we know what's going on and can help our kids means that they won't have to suffer - we can do something.
So, your kids aren't really breaking, it's the fact that some of us have genes that make us more fragile than others - we're just canaries.
Does it seem to you like she has stayed the same height? The ladies at our peditrician's office have been wrong more than once about my child's height. They once measured him shorter than he had been two weeks before.
Hi Khristina,
I don't have any advice, but I just wanted to say I feel for you. :) It is so hard when our children have things not 100% right and that makes us question ourselves. I'm sure you are a wonderful mom!!! Hang in there. You sound like a great, strong woman.
My thoughts are with you!
R. B.
PS Please keep us posted.
I cant really give much advice. I have a 27 month old that is 34 1/2' tall and 33 lbs. She is the size of an ave 4 year old..she wears 4T's.
But we have always had some issues with her as well. She has a ST, PT and OT. She has a Neurologist, sees THerapedia, ECI and soon the Child Study Center.
They think she might have PDD, she does have sensory intergration problems and social intergration problems as well. So I understand your pain! We are still trying to get a diagnosis for our little one.
We are planning on a 2nd child and worried about that child also having prob. It is a lot to worry about...you always worry over every little thing because we deal with so much.
It is good that your doctor is looking into it. But it could be that she is just a small child. My DD only grew 1/2" in 6 months than had a sudden growth spurt of 2 1/2" the next month.
Good luck and I will keep you in my prayers.
