Is your child growing normally?   Growth hormone deficiency and other growth disorders are a reflection of a child's overall health. Healthy children grow a MINIMUM of 2 and a half inches EACH year (after the age of 2 and before puberty). Searching for reasons why your child may not be growing well- click here- "What is normal growth?" If you already have a diagnosis for your child, click on the topic on the left side of this page. Major Aspects of Growth In Children (MAGIC) is made up of 25,000+ families whose children (and affected adults) have growth hormone deficiency or other medical conditions which affect their growth. While growth hormone deficiency is the most commonly known disorder it is not the most common cause of growth failure. We- the parents of MAGIC, fought to find answers for our children's lack of growth. It was not an easy road. And because our children were finally diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency and a variety of other growth disorders, we are passionate about getting information "out there" for other parents. Children fail to grow for a variety of reasons. Growth hormone deficiency is only one possible cause. Other vital hormones such as thyroid, or insulin-like growth factor also play important roles in a child's growth. Genetics, sleep, nutrition and exercise are also factors for normal growth. If a child is growth hormone deficient or failing to grow due to an underlying medical problem, his or her visible growth failure means that other more serious (non-visible) things are going on inside the body. Those "invisible" factors are our focus and concern. Height (too much at a young age or too little) is simply something we can see to warn us that something may be going wrong. It is natures early warning signal- an alarm for parents to take their child to the physician. Many conditions which interfere with children's growth are treatable. Insulin, growth hormone, thyroid hormone, and now insulin-like growth factor are medications which are as close to nature as possible. Children with a wide range of growth deficiencies (such as Turner Syndrome, Russell-Silver Syndrome, Intrauterine Growth Retardation - Small for Gestational Age births  have had wonderful results thanks to growth hormone and other treatments. Each week we hear from parents about the short people in their family, and this is absolutley a factor to consider. However, scientists have now discovered a few genes which are responsible for growth failure. Therefore, as parents of affected kids ourselves (and yes some of us are short adults)we always tell worried parents- the primary indicator as to if your child needs to be seen by a medical professional is how much he or she is growing each year! Chronic Renal Prob. Failure to Grow  Gen. Info. Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) Constitutional Growth Delay (late bloomers) Failure to Thrive Growth Hormone Deficiency in Children (hypopituitarism) Growth Hormone Deficiency in Adults Idiopathic Short Stature (ISS) Insulin-like Growth Factor Deficiency (IGFD/IGF-1) Intrauterine Growth Restriction McCune-Albright Syndrome / Fibrous Dysplasia Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (deMorsier Syndrome) Panhypopituitarism / Tumors Precocious Puberty / Central Precocious Puberty Rare Disorders (others not listed here) Russell-Silver Syndrome Septo Optic Dysplasia Small for Gestational Age Thyroid Disorders (both Congenital and Clinical) Turner Syndrome Researching information about a potential or newly diagnosed medical problem such as growth hormone deficiency, insulin-like growth factor deficiency, Turner Syndrome, panhypopituitarism, Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia etc. is always scarey. It is compounded when we are searching for information about our own children. Goals of the foundation include: * help you learn about children's growth * provide support to those searching for answers about their undiagnosed child * provide information regarding IGF-1, Growth Hormone Deficiency, Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, Thyroid and all other growth related disorders. Call us today- Ph: (708) 383-0808. Please remember when contacting us, we are not medical professionals. We are parents of affected children. We will try to match you with the parent whose child most closely resembles you/your questions. We can help you understand what we have learned from our child's experience or from conversations with physicians and other families. Always consult a medical professional for specific medical information.

National Educational Convention is July 23-26 at the Chicago, Westin /Northshore Hotel. Program books and information are available online! Go here- BANNERS Only sites which we feel are non "sales" in nature and beneficial to families are considered for sponsorship positions on our website. Contact us for information.  2009 Educational Convention HELP Today's economic hardships really hurt non-profit groups. Help offset the soaring costs to offer educational programs to the families of MAGIC children. Click the button and fill out the form at the bottom of that page. Thank you! Donations are 100% tax deductible! ### Parent's know their child better than anyone else in the world. Trust your instincts, be your child's strongest advocate. As parents of affected kids- we understand completely. We have been there too! If you need help...call or email us!  MAGIC is simply parents who have banded together- to help other parents. You are not alone. Click here to reach us. 2009 Seattle Pituitary Patient Symposium on Cushing’s Syndrome Date: Saturday, May 9, 2009 Insurance Problems?  CHAT with other parents Support  MAGIC Kids Contact Us Physician Referrals Help Finding Information MAGIC's Motto: "Children have a short time to grow and a lifetime to live with the results." ©     The MAGIC Foundation's official award;   The Independent Charities Seal of Excellence is awarded to Independent Charities of America and Local Independent Charities of America that have, upon rigorous independent review, been able to certify, document, and demonstrate on an annual basis that they meet the highest standards of public accountability, program effectiveness, and cost effectiveness. These standards include those required by the US Government for inclusion in the Combined Federal Campaign, probably the most exclusive fund drive in the world. Of the 1,000,000 charities operating in the United States today, it is estimated that fewer than 50,000, or 5 percent, meet or exceed these standards, and, of those, fewer than 2,000 have been awarded this Seal. MAGIC's CFC #10388 Link Requests: Feel free to link to any page with a topic of particular interest to you. Our goal is to help as many families through education about growth disorders as possible. The more visibility the disorders have, the earlier children can receive help. If you need assistance ContactUs@magicfoundation.org   Translation for 140 languages by ALS