Social Security is adopting revised Listings used in determining disability in children for growth disorders and weight loss. This includes one of the more interesting names for a medical condition, "failure to thrive." Children are expected to thrive, that is to rapidly gain weight and height. "Failure to thrive" is an ominous condition and a challenge for a pediatrician's diagnostic skills. When they can't figure out what the specific problem is or how to cure it, disability can result.
Unfortunately, this is usually not a disability. Many children are born less than desirable weight or are small at some point in their young childhood days. Most will have a growth spurt and be normal with in 2-3 years. Failure to thrive means that child X does not mean the height and weight parameters on a pediatric form. Nothing more or less. A child can be perfectly healthy and skinny or short.
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