[greenrobin]

I've never heard that Celiac Sprue was a cause of failure to thrive. It's one booger of a condition, though and really could cause problems!

I've had 4 kids, 2 and under, in the last year and a half (not to mention the other 7 who were older!). All 4 came in with failure to thrive. Because I'm straight foster (which has turned into possible adoption!), I see kids as they enter the system. Failure to thrive has a whole bunch of causes and contributing factors. One of the factors is a failure to bond.

Just personal experience here, but Sissy had no physical problems, but she was emotionally unbonded. She was skinny, grayish, what little hair she did have was thin and brittle. She's been here nearly 9 months. She's gained weight, muscle tone, height, language, the attitude of a 3 yr old, and a sense of humor. She will probably always be small, but she's doing well.

What did we do? Loved her up, fed her regularly, loved her some more, made life stable. Oh, and loved her. Barring medical conditions that stop weight gain, I'm convinced that kids grow mostly on emotional well being. We've had the same experience with the other 3 kids we had, even though they were short stays.

Since you're foster to adopt, you might have more access to records than I have. Talk to the worker to make sure that your potential little guy has seen all of the right doctors for physical health. Then look into the mental health aspect of it. Yep, little people can have the need for therapy, too. Having the background that you do, you probably know better than anyone what kind of resources to seek out.

And by the way, I have 2 daughters who are grown. The oldest is Beth. The younger is Sara!