ABSTRACT
Growth monitoring is a routine part of child health surveillance. Any child who is short (<0.4th centile), tall (>99.6th centile) or is growing at an inappropriate rate (under 5 years and crosses two centile channels within 18-24 months or over 5 years and crosses one centile channel) should be referred to a paediatrician for further assessment. Referral should also be considered if a child’s height lies between the 98th-99.6th or the 0.4th-2nd centiles, particularly if there is a discrepancy between the parental height centiles and the child’s height centile. Tall stature is a much less common presenting problem than short stature, and is usually familial.
