At a glance
- Healthcare providers and others can download growth charts for children with Down syndrome in the United States.
- These charts can help monitor the growth of children with Down syndrome.
Clinical growth charts
The clinical charts are shown in metric units (kilograms and centimeters). Each chart is available for boys and girls. Each chart shows the 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 95th percentile. The available charts are defined below.
For children from birth to 3 years of age:
- Weight in kilograms*
- Length/height in centimeters (length is used until child can stand)
- Head circumference
- Weight-for-length
*Weight percentile curves start at age 0 months; other "birth to 3 years of age" growth curves start at 1 month of age.
For individuals aged 2-20 yearsA:
- Weight
- Height
- Head circumference
0 - 36 months
Boys
- Weight in kilograms
- Length/height in centimeters
- Head circumference
- Weight in kilograms-for-length in centimeters
Girls
Considerations
Specialized growth charts, like these growth charts for children with Down syndrome, provide useful growth references but may have some limitations. For example, these growth charts were developed from a study using measurements from a group of 637 individuals with Down syndrome1. These participants were recruited from medical and community locations, mostly from the Philadelphia area. These children might not be representative of all children with Down syndrome in the United States.
- For children over 2 years old, body mass index (BMI) growth charts are available on CDC's Clinical Growth Charts page. Please see the publication by Zemel, et al for body mass index (BMI) growth charts for a sample of children with Down syndrome.
- Zemel BS, Pipan M, Stallings VA, Hall W, Schadt K, Freedman DS, Thorpe P. Growth charts for children with Down syndrome in the United States. Pediatrics. 2015 Nov 1;136(5):e1204-11.