Many parents contend their child is a picky eater, but when problematic eating habits are combined with poor growth and possibly contributing medical conditions, it’s a recipe for intervention by the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital’s Growth and Nutrition Practice (GNP).

About 30% of children referred for evaluation at the GNP cope with medical problems that may complicate their relationship with food, including gastrointestinal issues, allergies or the effects of prematurity. But for most, there are “a host of behavioral and environmental issues determining why they haven’t grown,” explains founding director Maureen Blac, Ph.D.