Tall parents but child is looking short for his age

[HerculesMulligan]

Thought dump:

DH is 6'3", I'm 5'10", but DS (aged 9, 10 this summer) is currently just under the 15th centile. I've dug out the relevant WHO list and plotted him because he looks small by comparison to his classmates in a way that I'm not sure he used to.

MIL says he'll just keep growing when the other boys stop, which allegedly happened to DH, but I suppose it's not a given that he'll be tall just because his family are. But this centile would mean he's smaller than me when he's 19, which is pretty unusual I'd think.

This is going to sound ludicrous, but he is autistic and super-anxious, and we used to foster cats who would sometimes grow once they were in a less stressful environment. We're pursuing an EHCP at the moment, but would you mention this when the medical part of the report is being done?

Honestly, growth patterns in boys vary so much that it's not massively meaningful at that age. Some boys have early growth spurts and then stop and reach their adult height by 15, others haven't even begun their growth spurts by then. The averages don't tell you that much as a result.

I heard from a paed that boys who have later growth spurts often end up taller. Her own dc was worried at age 14 that he was the shortest in his class, he was 6 3" by 19 and still growing.

I also wouldn't worry. Our son was 1-5th percentile very consistently - until he was 50- 75th. Our HVs always said it was a boy thing and apparently his dad had a very similar pattern.

I honestly wouldn't fret about it yet. Boys are funny old growers - DS1 was always tall, and finished his adult height at 16 at just over 6ft 2.
His brother grew early, was comfortably head and shoulders above his peers during primary school, yet is now 15 and we expect at his adult height of 5ft 8 and a bit. He does have a medical condition that caused the early height and lower adult height though

Are there shorter people in your family tree? We have a child who has generally been smaller than average. Dh is 6'5 and I'm 5'9 so similar ish heights to you and your dh. Our eldest was 2nd centile in length at birth and has always tracked shorter than average. When she was 5, I put her height into the adult height calculator, and it predicted she'd be 5'3 as an adult! We do have grandparents/great grandparents who were about that height, so it's possible she just could have inherited being shorter from them. But my guess is (and she's 11 now and catching up) is that she will spring up in height around puberty, which is normal for many children. She certainly isn't 'tall' for her age, but she's probably about average now. Boys are quicker to gain height compared to girls though - and obviously men are taller on average than women - so boys gain that height later than girls.

My dss was the smallest amongst his friends at that age. He was the last one to break his voice. Roll on a few years he's now 22 and 6'5" with a beard and a deep voice.

I wouldn't worry yet.

A few years ago I bumped into a tall guy (around 6 foot ) that I'd gone to school with - he recognised me, I didn't recognise him at all at first. In fact, at first I couldn't believe it was him as when I'd last seen him around age 15 he had been one of the shortest boys in the year. So I echo others in saying not to worry. But no harm in mentioning at assessment, it might make you worry less if you vocalise your thoughts and have them noted. Was he ever tall for his age?

Everyone starts puberty at a different age. At 9-10, some of his older classmates may have started a bit of a pubescent growth spurt.