What Kind of Growth Pattern is Abnormal?

Pediatric Endocrinologists take many things into account when assessing your child’s growth. For example, the height of a child’s parents are an important indicator of how tall a child is likely to be when fully grown. A child born to parents who are below average height will most likely grow to have an adult height below average as well. The rate of growth, referred to as the growth velocity, is also important. Children who are not growing at the same rate as their friends will slowly drop further down on the growth curve as they age; for example, crossing from the 25th to the 5th percentile line. Such crossing of percentile lines on the growth curve is often a warning sign of an underlying medical problem affecting growth.