Failure to thrive is a medical term which denotes poor weight gain and physical growth failure over an extended period of time in infancy. Often abbreviated FTT, the term has been in medical use for over a century. As used by pediatricians, it covers poor physical growth of any cause and does not imply abnormal intellectual, social, or emotional development.
Causes of failure to thrive
Traditionally, causes of FTT have been divided into endogenous (arising from disease within the infant) and exogenous (arising from environmental factors). To think of the terms as dichotomous is misleading, since both endogenous and exogenous factors commonly co-exist. A child with a disease or disability may be more vulnerable to poor care by a mother with marginal competence or resources.
Wider lay use
Like many older medical terms, FTT has acquired some lay connotations which are wider and more pejorative than its strict medical meaning.
Recently the term 'Faltering Growth' has become a popular replacement for 'Failure to Thrive', which in the minds of some represents a more euphemistic term.
Doctors diagnose failure to thrive by using standard growth charts to plot the child's weight, length, and head circumference, which are measured at each well-baby exam.
Particularly in cases of failure to thrive that are thought to be caused by caregivers' or parents' actions, a social worker and a psychologist or other mental health professional may help address problems in the child's home environment and provide any needed support.
Failure to thrive caused by a chronic illness or disorder may have to be monitored periodically and treated for even longer, perhaps for a lifetime.
Failure to thrive is not a disease; it is a condition that can be corrected by addressing the underlying cause.
Failure to thrive is usually used to describe infants and children under the age of two, who do not gain or maintain weight as they should.
Failure to thrive can be prevented by providing a child with the emotional and physical care that is essential to any child's physical and mental well-being.
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