To wonder how a junior school aged child can be 20 stone?

[Bearbehind]

On the local news there was a piece about exercise before classes in junior schools and it referred to one pupil at a junior school who was 20 stone.

Is there any medical condition that could cause this or is it more likely due to a horrendous diet?

[MojitoMadness]

Christ on a bike! That poor child.

[pointythings]

I'm thinking Prader-Willi syndrome, but even that can be managed...

[Sirzy]

I would have thought even with a medical condition it would have to be very poorly controlled to get to that size.

At 5ft 1 I was morbidly obese weighing 16 stone. I can't imagine a young child weighing 4 stone more.

I hope the child and family are getting the help they need to tackle whatever issue got them to that point.

[Goblinchild]

I taught a child who must have weighed close to this when she was 9.
She had Down's Syndrome and severe LDs, her parents loved her but didn't understand how to care for her appropriately.
So they fed her, because food made her happy and when she was happy she didn't scream and hurt herself. They had a lot of input from a number of people, but for them it was one way they could show her she was loved. So they would agree to things and then not follow through.

[Remotecontrolduck]

Oh goodness, that is terrible. The parents need help to manage things like portion size and what a healthy diet should consist of. The poor child probably needs sending to a boarding school/weight loss camp of some description for a bit in order for them to learn some healthy habits, exercise and lose weight.

20 stone at 10 hasn't happened overnight. Why was there no intervention before it got so bad?

[Bearbehind]

It didn't talk about the specifics, only quoted it as an example of why the initiative was required. I know the media have a tendency to sensationalise but I'm guessing there must be truth in it.

[Joules68]

Sadly, this kind of thing is getting more and more common

[Sidge]

It's terribly sad.

When I was school nursing I met a 5 year old who weighed 8 stone, so 20 stone at 10 isn't beyond imagination.

I live in an area with very high numbers of obese and morbidly obese children.

[littleducks]

Seems a bit off to put it in the paper. Did it name the school? Surely everyone at that school would then know which child weighed 20 stone?

Or have i misunderstood and was it a more vague borough wife statement?

[Sirzy]

To be fair little duck, I am sure all the parents at the school are more than aware which the child is who is so overweight

[JazzyCardi]

Junior school means between age 7 and 11 doesn't it?

Poor child must feel dreadful. I'd be very shocked if there weren't some mitigating circumstances.

[Bearbehind]

It was on TV, not in a paper and it was just talking about an area initiative and then mentioned one primary school child was 20 stone- no mention of which school, not even which area.

[Zingy123]

It was in Coventry it's on the front page of our paper today. No details of the child just that it was picked up as part of the year 6 weight/height measurements.

[Joules68]

At 20 stone I bet the child can barely move..... Surely this is neglect

[MiniSoksMakeHardWork]

May be a thyroid problem, poorly controlled could do it. My parents used to own a clothes shop. There was one family with a (I presume hereditary) thyroid problem in dad and all the children. Their youngest was a size 20 (adult) when she started junior school at 7. They'd buy her adult skirts and my mum would alter the length for her. Her dad had to have things like jackets specially made.