Failure To Thrive is a blockage in normal physical development which might be the precursor to slow-downs in the normal developmental process and normal maturation.

Failure To Thrive is a diagnosis given to children who are consistently underweight or who do not gain weight for unclear reasons. Many causes involve social and environmental factors that work together to keep the infant from having access to the nutrition the baby needs. There are times when medical conditions prevent a child from growing normally. Another significant cause is the child’s own intolerances and sensitivities.

When There Are Social And Environmental Roots

Many socio-environmental factors can be responsible for Failure To Thrive. Parental neglect or abuse, parental emotional health disorders, and disordered family conditions in which routine, nutritious meals are not provided, may all depress 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 buy also affects development. Inadequate intake of food may be a sign of inadequate parenting and environmental stimulation.

If The Causes Are Medical Disorders

Sometimes Failure To Thrive Syndrome is caused by a medical difficulty in the baby. The disorder can be as simple as difficulty drinking, chewing, or swallowing (as with a cleft lip or cleft palate). Medical issues, such as gastroesophageal reflux, esophagus narrowing, or poor intestinal absorption, may also affect a child’s ability to obtain nutrition from food. Infection, tumor, metabolic or hormonal disorders (such as cystic fibrosis or diabetes), heart disease, kidney disease, genetic disorders, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are other medical reasons for Failure To Thrive.

When The Problems Are Based In Intolerances

And, sometimes child and infant Failure To Thrive is caused by the baby’s defenses responding to normal environmental factors as if those normal things were toxic. This is a intolerance of some environmental factors which the child’s defenses thinks is toxic.

This response to this “toxic attack” could be 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 child’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 developmental process on an ongoing basis, because of the child’s intolerances.

Diagnosis For The Roots In Medical Problems And Social And Environmental Roots

Doctors diagnose Failure To Thrive when the baby’s weight or rate of growth is much lower than what it should be when compared with past measurements or standard age-height-weight charts. If the physical development is adequate, the infant may be small but still developing normally.

To determine why a child may be failing to thrive normally, medical practitioners ask 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 infant has had or that run in the family. The doctor examines the baby, looking for signs of conditions which might explain the child’s delay in development. The medical practitioner makes decisions about blood and urine tests and x-rays based on this initial evaluation. More extensive examinations are 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 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 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 sensitivities. Those who specialize in this testing can include some chiropractors, nutritionists, and other wellness practitioners trained for this type of evaluation.

Treatment and Prognosis For The Roots In Medical Difficulties And Socio-Environmental Roots

The medical disorders and socio-environmental roots 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 baby’s nutritional processing or access.

Treatment depends on the root of the problem. If a medical problem is found, specific treatment is given. Otherwise, treatment depends on how far below normal the infant’s weight is. Mild to moderate Failure To Thrive is treated with nutritious high-calorie feedings taken on a regular schedule. Parents could be counseled about family interactions that are damaging to the child and about financial and social resources available to them. Severe Failure To Thrive is treated in the hospital where nutritionists, social workers, 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 feeding.

Treatment For The Issues In Intolerances and Sensitivities

The interventions for the intolerances and sensitivities approach is to determine which things in the environment the baby is responding to and eliminates those from the child’s environment. When the infant is no longer reacting to those, the normal developmental process re-engages and development and growth can proceed normally. With this approach, food is absorbed appropriately and growth gets back on track. There are specialists in Failure To Thrive syndrome who can determine your child’s intolerances and sensitivities 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 baby.

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

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