Growth Charts and Body Mass Index (BMI)
As with most children who are being seen for well child visits, the clinician
will want to monitor the child's height and weight. This is typically
done either through the use of a growth chart (which is used to plot the
child's height and weight versus other children in the same age group)
or a Body Mass Index (BMI) calculation (which is a rough approximation
of the amount of body fat an individual has).
Although it is true that children with Down syndrome are at an increased
risk for obesity, it is important to remember that this determination
should only be made upon comparing these individuals with their appropriate
peer group. Children with Down syndrome, for instance, may tend to be
heavier, yet not as tall as the norm for typical children of the same
age group. Due to this inherent variation, a separate growth chart for
children with Down syndrome has been implemented.
Download charts in PDF from the National Down Syndrome Site (Acrobat
Reader Required):
Growth Charts for Boys
- Growth Charts for boys, ages 0-3 (weight)
- Growth Charts for boys, ages 0-3 (length)
- Growth Charts for boys, ages 2-18 (weight)
- Growth Charts for boys, ages 2-18 (height)
Growth Charts for Girls
- Growth Charts for girls, ages 0-3 (weight)
- Growth Charts for girls, ages 0-3 (length)
- Growth Charts for girls, ages 2-18 (weight)
- Growth Charts for girls, ages 2-18 (height)
Head Circumference Charts
- Head Circumference Chart for boys, ages 0-3
- Head Circumference Chart for girls, ages 0-3
Use this link to access the charts listed above:
http://www.ndss.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71&Itemid=91