NCJ Number
223494
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 17 Issue: 3 Dated: May-June 2008 Pages: 147-159
Date Published
May 2008
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This paper explores problems arising from dichotomized organic/non-organic responses to ‘failure to thrive’ (FTT) or faltering growth related to young children and explores reasons for the assumption that non-organic FTT was always due to emotional abuse or neglect.
Abstract
There is the potential for all child health and social care workers to improve the identification and assessment of faltering growth in young children and to ensure such children and their families receive appropriate support. With a greater understanding of the range of factors that may contribute to faltering growth, all health and social care professionals coming into contact with young children and their parents might play a part in contributing to a multidisciplinary assessment and implement effective interventions, particularly those based on tackling feeding difficulties. In this paper the case is made that, except in a minority of cases, children fail to grow because they consume insufficient calories. When faltering growth is identified, a multifactorial assessment should be undertaken. This assessment reduces the risk of interventions being based on outdated assumptions about non-organic FTT and maximizes the potential for successful resolution of poor growth. Suggestions are made for improving practice in this filed. The term ‘non-organic FTT' has long been used in relation to young children with faltering growth for which no organic cause is found. In this paper, problems arising from non-organic FTT are examined along with reasons for the assumption that non-organic FTT is due to emotional abuse or neglect. References