Failure To Thrive is a suspension in normal increases in height and weight which might be the precursor to slow-downs in the normal developmental process and normal maturation.
Failure To Thrive is a description of a condition given to children who are consistently less than the normal weight for their age or who do not show weight gain for unclear reasons. Many reasons for this involve socio-environmental elements that work together to keep the baby from having the nutrition the infant needs. There are times when medical conditions prevent a child from growing normally. Another important cause is the child’s own sensitivities.
If There Are Socio-Environmental Roots
Many socio-environmental factors can be involved in Failure To Thrive. Parental neglect or abuse, parental emotional health disorders, and disorganized family situations in which routine, nutritious meals are not provided, may all repress a child’s appetite and food intake. The amount of money a family has to spend on food and the nutritional value of the food they have also affects growth. Also, inadequate food intake may reflect poor parenting and not enough stimulation from the environment.
When The Causes Are Medical Difficulties
Sometimes Failure To Thrive Syndrome is brought on by a medical problem in the baby. The problem can be as simple as difficulty drinking, chewing, or swallowing (as a child might have with a cleft lip or cleft palate). Other medical issues, such as gastroesophageal reflux, narrowing of the esophagus, or poor intestinal absorption, may also affect a child’s ability to retain, absorb, or process food. And, other medical problems such as infection, tumor, hormonal or metabolic disorders (such as cystic fibrosis or diabetes), heart diseases, kidney diseases, genetic disorders, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are other medical reasons for Failure To Thrive.
When The Roots Are Based In Intolerances and Sensitivities
And, sometimes child and infant Failure To Thrive is brought on by the child’s body responding to normal environmental factors as if those normal things were toxic. This is a intolerance of some things in the environment which the child’s defenses thinks is toxic.
This response to this “toxic attack” could include shutting down the baby’s normal developmental process as a temporary protective measure until the “attack” goes away. But, because these environmental factors 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 short-term conservation defensive reaction continues on an ongoing basis. This means that the infant’s own defenses interferes with the baby’s normal developmental process on an ongoing basis, because of the child’s sensitivities.
Diagnosis For The Problems Based In Medical Disorders And Environmental And Social Issues
Doctors diagnose Failure To Thrive when the child’s weight or rate of growth is much lower than what it should be when compared with prior measurements or standard height-weight charts. If the rate of growth is adequate, the child may be small but still growing normally.
To find out why a child may be failing to thrive normally, doctors ask the parents specific questions about feeding, bowel habits, social, emotional, and financial stability of the family, which might affect the child’s access to nutrition, and illnesses that the child has had or that run in the family. The medical practitioner examines the child, looking for signals that might explain the child’s growth delay. The medical practitioner makes decisions about blood and urine tests and x-rays based on this evaluation. More extensive examinations are performed only if the doctor thinks there is an underlying medical condition.
Determining The Child’s Sensitivities and Intolerances
There are some published diets (GFCF Diet and Feingold Diet) which attempt to address these intolerance and sensitivity 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 sensitivities 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 and sensitivity, work with your child to determine your child’s precise list of sensitivities and intolerances. Those who perform this kind oftesting can include chiropractors, nutritionists, and other wellness practitioners trained for this specific type of evaluation.
Treatment and Prognosis For The Roots In Medical Difficulties And Environmental And Social Causes
The medical difficulties and environmental and social issues approach assumes there is something wrong with the child’s body or the child’s social environment. These treatments are focused on a fault in the baby’s nutritional processing or nutritional access.
Treatment depends on the root of the difficulty. If a medical difficulty is found, specific treatment is given. Otherwise, treatment depends on how far below normal the baby’s weight is. Mild to moderate Failure To Thrive is treated with nutritious high-calorie feedings provided on a regular schedule. Parents might be counseled about family interactions that are dangerous for the child and about financial and social resources available for their family. More severe Failure To Thrive is treated in the hospital where social workers, nutritionists, psychiatrists, feeding specialists, 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 Roots In Sensitivities
The interventions for the sensitivities approach is to determine which environmental factors the infant is reacting to and eliminates those factors from the infant’s environment. When the infant is no longer reacting to those things in the environment, the normal process of development re-engages and growth and development can proceed normally. With this approach, nourishment is absorbed appropriately 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 socio-environmental approach assumes that something is wrong in the baby’s social environment in such a way that nourishment is not available or is not accepted by the child.
The medical disorders approach for Failure To Thrive infants and children assumes that nourishment is not being processed and absorbed by the child because of some medical difficulty.
The sensitivities and intolerances approach for Failure To Thrive children assumes that the baby is having reactions to environmental factors and these defensive reactions are shutting down the normal growth and developmental process.