[OakShannon]

We are newly certified foster parents hoping to do a fost-adopt. Today we were told that they have a 23 month old little boy for us. He has some delays due to severe failure-to-thrive. Does anyone have experience with this? We are excited but nervous, not knowing what to expect. We were told that he has been showing steady progress in his current foster home, but he is not walking yet and has some language delays. We would love to hear from anyone who has dealt with this.

Thanks!

[JessicaBaker]

Best wishes on the placement! I'm sure he's a little sweetie. Mostly I would caution you not to have any expectations, like he will walk by this summer, etc. I have found this to be almost impossible, but still something to strive for. Just let him be himself and accept him for it. And love him like there's no tomorrow.

[athikers]

I would try to find out WHY he is FTT. Most kids will have another diagnosis which make the FTT worse. Knowing this will help you to address it as well as possible. Like Jessica, I have a medically fragile baby that is teetering on a FTT diagnosis (not yet). We take each little milestone he reaches as a BIG BIG deal and get joy out of it however fast or slow he is in reaching it.

[xxsurroundedbyxy]

I agree with athikers. Many were drug exposed which causes a failure to thrive. Rarely is a baby just labeled with FTT without the underlying cause being suspected or known out-right. I would ask why. Is this child seeing a pediatric neurologist and if so, I would ask to see a few of the most recent reports. If not, he should be.

Kim

[OakShannon]

Thank you for the responses. We have the disclosure meeting on Monday, so we'll find out more then, but my impression is that the FTT is caused primarily by neglect. He was also born drug exposed. He is very small for his age and is not mimicking speach so he is getting speach therapy. I know he's receiving care for the FTT, but I'm not sure if he's seeing a Neurologist. We'll have to ask.

[FosterMamma2008]

I agree, my bio daughter had failure to thrive and it's because of a genetic conditions. Most children I know of with FTT have a overlying medical problem causing it.

That being said it can also be BECAUSE of the neglect you described. If the child is delayed it could also be due to the neglect, the starvation can cause developmental delays.

[greenrobin]

I've had 3 kiddos in our home with FTT, Queenie and Sissy were due to neglect and drug exposure. Little Man was neglect and cleft palate. All of them did much better when they began receiving plenty of food, love and attention, including Little Man. Sissy was in the less than 5% area on the growth chart due to her circumstances. She's growing well and has put on 5 lbs and 1 inch in the last 4 months. It's slow, but it's going.

Make a list of all of the questions you can think of to ask at your meeting. You'll forget something in the excitement if you don't!

Good luck.

[posh]

my granddaughter was ftt but it was a metabolic disorder. a $20 blood test would have saved her. have the child checked for any metabolic disorder as well as fas.

[skylark_25]

Just wanted to chime in with my two cents. I'm a pediatric OT and I have seen a lot of FTT kids. First off, there are 2 kinds of FTT...
1. Organic
2. Inorganic
Organic means there is an identifiable medical reason the child is not growing, like cleft palate or lack of food in the home. Inorganic means there is NOT a medical reason for the FTT. In my opinion inorganic FTT kids make slower progress b/c it's just trial and error trying to figure out what works for them. How long has the child been in foster care b/c if his FTT is simple due to inconsistant feeding schedule he should have made significant progress in his foster home. Also 23 months old and not walking or talking is a major developmental delay. This child should be recieving PT as well as speech therapy and should be evaluated in all his other developmental areas including feeding, fine motor and cognative. I hope this is helpful, feel free to PM me with any questions.

Becca

[OakShannon]

GreenRobin - How old were your children when they were placed with you? Some of what we have been reading suggests that there is a poorer long term outlook for a child if the FTT is not addressed in the first year - but I really know very little about this. We are just anxious first time parents trying to figure out what all of this might mean for the future. I really appreciate the replies.

[ksdpollard]

It is amazing what a loving stable home will do for these children. My foster daughter came from the same background with the same diagnoses. I was afraid at first. But I can tell you that she is by far NOT the same little girl that came to live with us almost eight months ago. Have faith, give lots of love and attention and you will be amazed at how much he will thrive in your home!