Getting A Handle On Failure To Thrive In Children

Failure To Thrive is a delay in physical growth and weight gain which can lead to slow-downs in the developmental process and maturation.

Failure To Thrive is a diagnosis given to infants who are consistently underweight or who do not show weight gain for unclear reasons. There may be many causes. Many causes involve environmental and social factors which interact to keep the infant from having the nutrition the infant needs. There are times when medical disorders prevent a infant from developing normally. Another major contributing factor is the child's own intolerances.

When There Are Environmental And Social Issues

Many environmental and social factors can be involved in Failure To Thrive. Parental neglect or abuse, parental emotional health difficulties, and disfunctional family situations in which routine, nutritious meals are not provided, may all interupt a child's appetite and intake of food. The amount of money a family has available for food and the nutritional value of the food they provide also affects development. Also, inadequate intake of food may be a symptom of inadequate parenting and stimulation from the environment.

When The Issues Are Medical Problems

Sometimes Failure To Thrive Syndrome is brought on by a medical problem in the infant. The problem can be as simple as difficulty drinking, chewing, or swallowing (as a child might have with a cleft lip or cleft palate). Medical issues, such as gastroesophageal reflux, narrowing of the esophagus, or poor intestinal absorption, may also affect a child's ability to obtain nutrition from food. And, other medical problems such as infections, tumors, hormonal or metabolic disorders (such as diabetes or cystic fibrosis), cardiac problems, kidney diseases, genetic disorders, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are other physical reasons for Failure To Thrive.

If The Issues Are Based In Intolerances and Sensitivities

And, sometimes child and infant Failure To Thrive is brought on by the infant's body responding to normal things in the environment as if those normal things were toxic. This is a sensitivity to or intolerance of some things in the environment which the child's body thinks is toxic.

This response to this "toxic attack" could include shutting down the infant's normal developmental process as a temporary protective tactic until the "attack" goes away. But, because these things in the environment are not toxic to others, the family and the medical professionals do not know to eliminate these "toxic" factors from the infant's environment. In this case this temporary protective defensive reaction continues without stopping. This means that the infant's own defenses interrupts the infant's normal development on an ongoing basis, because of the child's intolerances.

Diagnosis For The Issues In Medical Problems And Environmental And Social Causes

Doctors diagnose Failure To Thrive when a infant's weight or physical development is much less than what it should be when compared with past measurements or standard height-weight charts. If the physical development is adequate, the infant may be small for his or her age but still developing normally.

To determine why a infant may be failing to grow normally, medical practitioners ask the parents specific questions about feeding, bowel habits, social, emotional, and financial stability of the family, which might affect the infant's access to food, and illnesses that the infant has had or that run in the family. The doctor examines the infant, looking for signs of conditions which might explain the infant's growth delay. The doctor makes decisions about blood and urine tests and x-rays based on this evaluation. Additional testing is performed only if the doctor believes there is an underlying medical condition.

Determining The Child's Intolerances and Sensitivities

There are some published diets (GFCF Diet and Feingold Diet) which attempt to address these intolerance issues. These diets work well for those children who are sensitive to the things which are specifically restricted by these programs. But, for the majority of children whose intolerances are affecting their growth and development, these diets are incomplete and not specifically tailored for them.

It is best to have a specialist, who knows how to perform this specific test for intolerance, work with your child to determine your child's precise list of intolerances. Those who perform this testing can include chiropractors, nutritionists, and other wellness practitioners trained for this type of evaluation.

Treatment and Prognosis For The Issues In Medical Problems And Environmental And Social Causes

The medical difficulties and environmental and social issues approach assumes there is something wrong with the infant's body or the child's social environment. These treatments are focused on a fault in the infant's nutritional processing or access.

Treatment depends on the root of the problem. If a medical disorder is found, specific interventions are performed. Otherwise, treatment depends on how far below normal the infant's weight is. Mild to moderate Failure To Thrive is treated with high-calorie nutritious feedings given on a regular schedule. Parents may be counseled about family interactions that are damaging to the child and about social and financial resources available to them. Severe Failure To Thrive is treated in the hospital where social workers, nutritionists, feeding specialists, psychiatrists, and other specialists work together to determine the most likely causes of the child's Failure To Thrive and the best approach to recovery.

Treatment For The Issues In Intolerances and Sensitivities

The interventions for the intolerances approach is to determine which things in the environment the infant is responding to and eliminates those from the infant's environment. When the infant is no longer reacting to those things in the environment, the normal process of development kicks in and growth and development can proceed normally. With this intervention, food is absorbed appropriately and growth and development starts to catch up. There are specialists in Failure To Thrive syndrome who can determine your child's intolerances and coach you in getting your child back on track.

Summary

The environmental and social approach for Failure To Thrive children assumes that something is wrong in the infant's social environment in such a way that nourishment is not available or is not accepted by the infant.

The medical difficulties approach for Failure To Thrive infants and children assumes that nourishment is not being processed and absorbed by the infant because of some medical disorder.

The intolerances approach for Failure To Thrive children assumes that the infant is having defensive responses to environmental factors and these defensive responses are shutting down the normal growth and developmental process.