Ds 15 is very small and doesn't seem to be growing.

[Lilyana]

DS 15 is 5ft 3, by far the smallest boy in his class/year. I'm 5ft 6 and they always say boys are taller than their mums. He hasn't grown since last November. Is there a chance he will have a growth spurt later on even though he seems to have stopped for a while?

Take him to your GP and ask for a referral to a consultant.

I would have thought possible. Not definite, but it's a bell curve, so while most will have finished growing by 16ish, a few will do a bit more.

Is he nearer 15 or 16? My brother was tiny until somewhere between 15-16 then he shot up with a few months and was average height.

My DH went from 5.8 to 6.2 after he turned 18.

My brother didn't stop growing until he was 19/20.

My Ds is 15. He started to shoot up about 6 months ago. He says quite a number of his friends haven't started to grow yet.

Just turned 15

It’s very common for boys to shoot up in their late teens. My brother was only up to my shoulder at 14. He’s now over 6’.

Wow!! The thing is my son isn't late going through puberty, voice breaking etc was a long time ago now. I know sometimes they don't grow until they hit puberty.

My son was always small and when reached year 6 I asked for referral to paediatrician. They checked bloods for hormones and took wrist X-ray which determined his bone age as opposed to chronological age. X-ray showed he was 2 years behind and diagnosed constitutional growth delay. So puberty etc would happen but later, in fact a late puberty is better as gives a longer growing time. He went for twice yearly checks (check testes size as once they reach certain size they produce the hormones which will start all the changes). He was discharged last Nov as now is developing and starting to stretch. He is 17 and friends have stopped growing but he should continue to grow for another 2-3 years. It’s been hard for him and us but at last all my reassurance has paid off.
Does your son have any puberty changes?

I agree that you should take him to the Gp and ask for a referral.

Long bone growth plates (epiphyses) in males fuse later than in females and often not until they hit c. 20 - varies obviously between individuals. But plenty of time for a big growth spurt!

Ds1 was the same at just turned 15, only just at my shoulder level (I’m 5, 6”) now at nearly 17 he’s taller than me, his voice has broken, and there’s lots more hair on his body.

Some go through puberty later than others but chat to your GP if you’re worried.

His voice broke when he was 13.

Completely normal. I don't think a GP would be interested.
My ds didn't grow upwards until he turned 15.
He is 6' now. He had other friends who didn't start growing until they were 15 or 16 too. It isn't unusual at all.
'Puberty' doesn't happen all at once - or in a linear fashion.

some men are just shorter! one of my best male friends is 5"3 and in his mid thirties so definitely no growth spurt coming!

How much does it bother him?

I’m very short, even for a woman, and my mum took my concerns seriously and took me to a growth specialist in my teens. The upshot was that someone has to be on the bottom of the growth centile and sadly that’s me. But getting it investigated groomed me to make my peace with it.

I think it’s MUCH harder for men to be shorter. I’d go to the GP.

How tall is his dad?

Groomed me?!?! HELPED me

What's the harm in speaking to GP and getting it noted? If it sorts itself great. If it doesn't, Your'll probably regret it.

My almost 19yr old is 5ft 3. He hasn't grown since he was 13. But I'm 5ft 2, my mother is 5ft and my nan was 4ft 10. My (also just turned 15yr old) is 5ft 2 but he hasn't gone through puberty yet. He doesn't even sweat. But he is on a lot of medication.

My 15 yr old DS (16 in July) is shorter than that. He has delayed puberty and is being monitored by an endocrinologist. His older brother (19) was the same, was also monitored by the same endocrinologist, and is now 5ft 8. We got the referral via the GP.

I’m with the talk to the GP crowd.

Yes, it’s not unusually late to have a growth spurt at 15 or 16. But if there is an issue, finding out sooner rather than later - hanging on too long waiting - can be a problem.

Male member of my extended family didn’t get checked out when he probably should have done and now it’s too late. He’s really sensitive about it and it’s the ‘what ifs’ that are the issue - what if there had been something that could have helped? I think it’s easier to come to terms with if you know it was just luck of the gene draw, not something that could have been prevented.

My ds was very small for his age up till about 14-15. 10 years later he is over 6ft tall.

DS is 15 in a couple of weeks and is 5'6" after a recent huge growth spurt from about 5'2". He was one of the smallest in the class for most of secondary school until recently. According to https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Boys_2-18_years_growth_chart.pdf, your DS is probably around the 15th centile, so not an outlier but shorter than average. So I doubt it's anything to worry about, but equally I don't think your GP will think you're being and idiot to book an appointment to discuss - but only if your DS wants to.

Yes, all puberty changes as in voice drop etc...by 13 years old.