Failure to Thrive

When a child is significantly smaller than others his or her age and appears unable to gain weight or height at a normal rate, physicians refer to this condition as “failure to thrive.” There are many potential causes of this disorder, including everything from a poor or insufficient diet to a chromosomal or endocrine system disorder, heart problem, gastrointestinal illness or malabsorption disorder. During regular doctor visits, infants and children are evaluated for their rate of growth and development of cognitive, motor and social skills to ensure that they are growing up healthy, happy and strong. When these evaluations reveal a failure to thrive, possible treatments include parental education regarding infant/child nutritional requirements, surgical interventions and/or integrated treatment plans for addressing medical, psychological and behavioral concerns.