Often the school nurse is they only consistent health care provider the child has. We have the perfect opportunity to evaluate the child's growth and refer the child if there are any abnormalities found.

Accurate and repeatable measurements of both height and weight are the essential components for monitoring the growth of children. The measurements need to be taken at regular intervals, then recorded and plotted on growth charts immediately. A stadiometer is a device that can be used to obtain an accurate measurement of the child's standing.

In order to measure the child accurately, the child should be told to stand straight up against he wall. The occiput, shoulders, buttocks, back of the legs and heels should all be touching the wall. The child must be barefoot and stand wit his heels together. Minimizing the lordotic curve of the lumbar region can be accomplished by encouraging the child to relax his shoulders. In addition, the person measuring can gently press the abdomen toward the wall to help reduce the space between the wall and the lower back. The child should be looking straight ahead with the head level. To compensate for the diurnal height variations, the measurer should place his/her fingers beneath the angle of the child's jaw and gently lift upward. Measurements should be taken at or near the same time of the day in order to obtain maximum consistency.

Also, taking 3 consecutive measurements and recording the mean value is one method of increasing the accuracy of growth measurements. A child who is growing abnormally frequently suffers psychological and social stress related to their difference of the physical stature to their peers. This stress can be a result of teasing and bullying by other children, but also may be reflecting a loss of self-esteem and increased self-doubt. This frequently is expressed by the child displaying a variety of "acting out" behaviors, in addition to academic failure. In these cases, detection, diagnosing and treatment of the growth disorder can bring about a sense of recognition and control, along with improving self-concept and self-esteem in these children. Remember, "Children have only a short time to grow but a lifetime to live with the results."

For more information on growth disorders contact:

The MAGIC Foundation for Children's Growth
1327 N. Harlem Avenue
Oak Park, IL 60302-1376
1-800-3-MAGIC-3
http://www.nettap.com/magic