DOES A FALL DOWN A CENTILE CHART MATTER - THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENTAL SEQUELAE OF MILD FAILURE-TO-THRIVE

Fifty-two children aged 18 months who had fallen across two weight cen tile lines were compared to 52 controls. Five years after the initial study, 89% of these children were traced. At follow-up, four of the ca ses but none of the controls had been placed in care and cases were si gnificantly shorter and lighter than controls. Reanalysis of the early weight data revealed that the screening: criterion had been over-incl usive, identifying a majority with only borderline failure to thrive ( FTT). Although the mean IQ was lower in the cases than in controls, th e difference was not statistically significant. However, a significant association was found within the cases between severity of FTT and IQ . There was no difference in the number of behaviour problems reported . The use of a simple centile shift-based definition of FTT, while pro ving to be over-sensitive, has identified a subgroup of children who s uffered adverse long-term cognitive outcomes.