The researchers used teachers’ reports of kids’ behavioral problems and popularity, and children’s reports of optimism, depression, and peer relationships, among other measures, to compare short kids with their taller peers. Overall, height didn’t seem to be related to any measures of the children’s well-being. However, shorter kids were more likely to report being teased or targeted by their classmates. Dr. Lee’s team suspects that short kids may take teasing—including terms like midget, shrimp, and shorty—in a more personal way. Parents may add to this by expressing concerns about height, the researchers say.

“All kids get teased regardless of whether or not they’re short,” she says, “and it’s possible that short kids focus more on the teasing, misattributing it to their short stature.” However, the researchers found that short kids were just as likely to be popular and no more likely to be excluded by peers than taller children.

Dr. Kemp suggests that parents help kids practice the appropriate response to a bully. “It is very helpful to do role-playing at home in developing strategies for coping,” he says.

He also urges parents of kids on growth hormones to be patient. “Growth from being treated with [growth hormone] takes place over a number of years, so the impact of a faster growth rate doesn’t make you tall immediately,” he notes.

Parents of very small children often make the mistake of treating their children younger than they actually are, adds Mary Andrews, the CEO of the Magic Foundation, an Oak Park, Ill.–based nonprofit that supports families of children with growth hormone deficiency or other medical conditions affecting their growth.

“Even though our children may be small, they can accomplish simple deeds, such as dressing themselves, doing their own shoelaces, etc.,” says Andrews, the parent of a son with growth hormone deficiency. “But so many times, and in my case it was probably because I felt sorry for him, we continue to do the things they can do on their own.”

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