Do you feel like the smallest person in your class? Guys and girls who are shorter
may feel out of sync with their peers — just as guys who mature earlier may
feel strange if they shave first, or girls who get their periods before their friends
may feel awkward.
In most cases, teens who are small are probably just physically maturing a little
bit more slowly than their friends. Or maybe their parents are smaller and they take
after them.
Occasionally, though, there's a medical reason why some people grow more slowly
than usual.
What's Normal and What's Not
Kids and teens grow and go through puberty
at different times. For girls, puberty usually begins between ages 7 and 13. For guys
it often begins a bit later — between 9 and 15.
Girls become more rounded in the hips and their breasts begin to develop. Usually,
about 2 years after their breasts begin to develop, girls begin to menstruate,
or get their periods. Guys' penises and testicles grow larger and both guys and girls
grow hair in their pubic areas and under their arms. Guys get more muscular, begin
to grow hair on their faces, and their voices get deeper.
Some teens develop a lot earlier than their friends (called precocious
puberty), whereas others develop much later than other people of the same
age (called delayed puberty).
Kids and teens may not grow as fast as their peers for many reasons. If you're
short, you may just have familial (genetic) short stature.
In other words, short parents tend to have short children. If a doctor finds you have
no growth disorder and you're growing steadily and sexually maturing at the usual
expected age, then you can probably expect to grow to a normal size, although you
may be somewhat shorter than average.
Teens who have constitutional growth delay grow at a normal rate
when they're younger kids, but they lag behind and don't start their pubertal development
and their growth spurt until after most of their peers. People who have constitutional
growth delay are often referred to as "late bloomers."
If a kid or teen appears to have constitutional growth delay, a doctor might take
X-rays of bones and compare them with X-rays of what's considered average for that
age. Teens with constitutional growth delay tend to have bones that look younger than
what's expected for their age. These teens will have a late growth spurt and continue
growing and developing until an older age. They usually catch up with their peers
by the time they're young adults.
Not getting adequate amounts of protein, calories, and other nutrients
in your diet can also cause growth to slow, as well as a number of other chronic medical
conditions such as kidney, heart, lung, and intestinal diseases.
People with sickle
cell anemia may also grow and develop more slowly. Following the treatment plan
worked out with a doctor can help teens with health conditions achieve a more normal
growth pattern.