Arrange your child's growth checks
Regular height, weight and appetite checks let the prescriber notice growth changes during medication treatment.
Guideline advice, not formally gradedADHD evidence
Start with the time you have
1 minute
Think of any change in your child's appetite that you want to report.
5 minutes
Check when height and weight were last measured, and book the next appointment if it's due.
15 minutes
Gather the measurements you have and write your questions about appetite or growth for the review.
A plan
Follow the growth trend
- Confirm the measurement schedule with the prescriber.
- Bring measurements and appetite concerns to review.
- Ask the clinician to explain the growth chart and next steps.
How sure the science is
Guideline advice, not formally graded, ADHD evidence
Recommended by ADHD clinical guidelines, but nobody has pooled the trials and graded how sure they are. Guideline advice is a considered judgement, not a measured certainty. Measured in people with ADHD.
NICE NG87 1.8.5 growth monitoring recommendation (committee consensus), NHS medicine guidance and AAP adverse-effect discussion.
The number, drawn
Why it matters
Some ADHD medicines can reduce appetite and affect growth, so the trend on the chart matters as well as how your child feels. NICE recommends measuring height every 6 months and plotting height and weight on a growth chart. Weight is checked more often in children 10 and under and early in treatment, so ask for your child's own schedule rather than assuming all checks are twice yearly.
How to do it
- Ask the prescriber who will measure your child's height and weight and plot them.
- Confirm the schedule for weight checks, including the more frequent ones for younger children.
- Tell the clinician about changes in appetite or any worries about growth.
- Bring any measurements you already have and ask what the trend means.
A clinician should read the growth chart and decide how treatment responds to it. Raise appetite or growth worries without changing the medication yourself.
Putting it into practice
In real life
- Ask whether the latest measurements have gone onto your child's growth chart.
- Tell the clinic about appetite changes even when school says things are going well.
Watch out for
- Common mistakeOne weight on one day says little about growth. Ask to see the trend.
- Common mistakeA height check does not cover the more frequent weight checks some children need. Confirm both dates.
Trusted guides
How we rated it
- Evidence grade
- A Moderate or high certainty evidence in people with ADHD, or an explicit ADHD guideline recommendation.
- The number
- Measure children's height every 6 months (NICE, 2019)
- Benefit
- 74/100 The benefit score is an editorial prioritization for the general list, weighted by certainty. It is not a prediction of what will happen for you.
- Effort
- Quick win
Sources
- Tier 1 guidelineAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management (NG87), recommendationsNICE, 2019
- Tier 1 guidelineCommon questions about methylphenidate for childrenNHS, 2025
- Tier 1 guidelineClinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of ADHD in Children and AdolescentsAmerican Academy of Pediatrics, 2019
General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you. Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.