Babies with dwarfism have a genetic or medical condition that limits their adult height to 4’10 inches or less for men and 4’7 inches or less for women. Different types of dwarfism cause disproportionate limbs and abnormal bone growth, with some causing painful disabilities. Little People of America is a non-profit organization that provides support to people with dwarfism and their families. The reality TV show “Little People, Big World” follows the lives of the Roloff family, some of whom have dwarfism.
The babies are dwarfs. Dwarfs are people who have dwarfism, called dysplasia, and as a result, are small in stature. Hatchlings have a genetic or medical condition that limits their adult height to approximately 4’10 inches (147 cm) or less for men and 4’7 inches (139 cm) or less for women.
Dysplasia, or dwarfism, usually causes different configurations of the face or head. These people usually also have disproportionate limbs and abnormal bone growth. Some people suffer painful disabilities as a result of these problems. Achondroplasia, spondyloephyseal dysplasia congenita (SED), hypochondroplasia, osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), pseudoachondroplasia, and diastrophic dysplasia are genetic disorders that commonly cause dwarfism.
Achondroplasia is commonly associated with shortened limbs in dwarfism. It is usually diagnosed at birth and causes delayed motor skills. People with SED usually have limbs in proportion to their height, but the trunk area is usually shortened. Hypochondroplasia causes shortening of the limbs but is often a milder and more gradual form of dwarfism than achondroplasia and is usually not diagnosed until the child is a toddler, as length and weight are often normal at birth .
People with OI have a genetic disorder that limits the production of type one collagen or the quality of the collagen produced. People with OI have bones that are easily broken. Pseudoachondroplasia is associated with shortened limbs in small people and, like hypochondroplasia, is often too mild and gradual to be diagnosed at birth, but is usually diagnosed when the child is a toddler. People with pseudoachondroplasia tend to have a sort of wobbly motion when they walk.
Diastrophic dysplasia is associated with shortened limbs and clubfeet in these people and is usually diagnosed at birth. Puffy ears and “hitchhiker’s thumb” are common signs of diastropic dysplasia that are present at birth. Parents who have produced a child with dystrophic dysplasia have a 25% chance of having more children with dystrophic dysplasia.
Little People of America is a non-profit organization that provides support to people with dwarfism and their families. Matt Roloff, a star of the reality television show “Little People, Big World” on The Learning Channel (TLC), is a former president of Little People of America. The TV show follows the lives of Matt, his wife Amy and their four children Zachary, Jeremy, Molly and Jacob.
Zachary and Jeremy are twins. Jeremy is of average height and Zachary has achondroplasia dwarfism. Both Molly and Jacob are of average height. Matt has diastropic dysplasia and Amy has achondroplasia like Zachary. Matt uses crutches and motorized equipment to help him get around and spent much of his childhood in hospitals. Amy has had relatively few health issues, but Zachary is starting to have some complications. “Little People, Big World” shows that the Roloffs are an ordinary family. As Amy says at the beginning of the show “Little people can pretty much do anything other people can do, just in a different way”.
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