| What factors will affect my child's growth?
A child's growth is affected by a number of factors including prenatal health, nutrititional health, nutritional status, health condition and genetic factors. In addition, institutionalized children suffer from psychosocial growth retardation (abuse dwarfism), falling behind one month of linear growth for each three to four months spent in the orphanage, irrespective of country of origin. After placement in adoptive families, linear growth velocity increases dramatically in almost all children. In fact, if rapid linear growth is not observed during the first twelve months, further investigation is warranted. Despite this growth spurt, three years after arrival 31% of Romanian orphans who had spent eight months or more in institutional care remained below the tenth percentile in height and measured an average of two inches shorter than children raised in their birth families. Ultimately, final height may be shortened in these children by growth retardation and precocious puberty. For this reason it is important to follow the child's height, weight and head circumference measurements closely after arrival.
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