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Your Introduction To Non Organic Failure To Thrive Syndrome For A Baby

By: Gerald Fitzgerald

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Failure To Thrive is a restriction in normal increases in height and weight that might be the precursor to interruptions in the developmental process and maturation.

Failure To Thrive is a diagnosis given to babies who are consistently less than the normal weight for their age or who do not show weight gain. There could be many causes. Many causes involve environmental and social elements that interact to keep the child from having the nutrition the child needs. Sometimes, medical issues prevent a child from developing normally. Another significant contributing factor is the infant's own intolerances.

When There Are Environmental And Social Causes For The Failure To Thrive

Many environmental and social elements can be involved in Failure To Thrive. Parental abuse or neglect, parental emotional health disorders, and disorganized family conditions in which routine, nutritious meals are insufficiently provided, may all depress a child's appetite and intake of food. The amount of money a family makes to spend on food and the nutritional value of the food they provide also affects development. Inadequate intake of food may be a sign of inadequate parenting and not enough environmental stimulation.

When the problems are not based in medical difficulties, this is called Non Organic Failure To Thrive Syndrome. In the past, Non Organic Failure To Thrive Syndrome was thought to be caused by poor parenting. But there are many recent articles which have indicated a growing recognition that poor parenting may not be a common cause of the condition.

When The Problems Of The Failure To Thrive Are Medical Difficulties

Sometimes Failure To Thrive Syndrome is caused by a medical problem in the child. This is often called Organic Failure to Thrive. The problem can be as simple as difficulty drinking, chewing, or swallowing (as with a cleft lip or palate). Other medical problems, such as acid reflux, narrowing of the esophagus, or intestinal malabsorption, may also affect a child's ability to retain, absorb, or process food. Infection, tumor, hormonal or metabolic disorders (such as cystic fibrosis or diabetes), heart disease, kidney disease, genetic disorders, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are other physical reasons for Failure To Thrive.

If The Problems Are Based In Reactions To Intolerances and Sensitivities

Sometimes an infant's or a baby's Non Organic Failure To Thrive is caused by the infant's body responding to normal things in the environment as if those normal things were toxic. This is a intolerance of some things in the environment which the child's body thinks are toxic.

This reaction to this "toxic attack" could involve shutting down the child's normal developmental process as a temporary conservation measure until the "toxic attack" stops. 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" things from the child's environment. In this case this short-term conservation defensive reaction continues without stopping. This means that the child's own defenses interferes with the child's normal developmental process on an ongoing basis, because of the child's intolerances.

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

Doctors diagnose Failure To Thrive when a child's weight or rate of growth is much lower than what it should be when compared with past measurements or standard height-weight charts. If the rate of growth is adequate, the child may be small but still growing normally.

To determine why a child may be failing to develop , 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 food, 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 delay in development. The medical practitioner makes decisions about blood and urine tests and x-rays based on this evaluation. More extensive testing is performed only if the doctor suspects an underlying medical condition.

Determining The Child's Intolerances and Sensitivities

There are some available diets ( for instance: Gluten Free, Casein Free, and Feingold diets) which attempt to deal with 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 Non Orhanic Failure To Thrive children whose intolerances are affecting their development and growth, 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 sensitivity, work with your Non Organic Failure To Thrive child to determine your child's precise list of intolerances. Those who perform this testing can include some chiropractors, nutritionists, and other wellness practitioners trained for this specific type of evaluation.

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

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

Treatment intervention depends on the cause of the problem. If a medical difficulty is found, specific interventions are performed. Otherwise, treatment depends on how far below normal the child's weight is. Mild to moderate Failure To Thrive is treated with high-calorie nutritious feedings provided on a regular schedule. Parents could 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 Syndrome is treated in the hospital where social workers, nutritionists, psychiatrists, feeding specialists, and other specialists team together to determine the most likely causes of the child's Failure To Thrive and the best program to recovery.

Treatment For When The Causes Of The Failure To Thrive Syndrome Are In Intolerances and Sensitivities

The interventions for the intolerances approach is to determine which things in the environment the child is responding to and eliminates those factors from the child's environment. When the child is no longer reacting to those, the normal process of development re-engages and growth and development can proceed normally. With this intervention, food is absorbed appropriately and growth gets back on track. There are specialists in Non Organic 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 assumes that something is wrong in the child's social environment in such a way that nourishment is not available or is not accepted by the child.

The medical disorders approach for Organic Failure To Thrive infants and children assumes that nourishment is not being processed and absorbed by the child because of some medical difficulty.

The intolerances approach for Non Organic Failure To Thrive in children assumes that the child is having defensive reactions to environmental factors and these defensive reactions are shutting down the normal growth and developmental process.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

If you want more information about Failure To Thrive or you would like to communicate with other parents or professionals about Non Organic Failure To Thrive Syndrome, you will enjoy participating in our free, private Non Organic Failure To Thrive Social Network.

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