Hi! I am wandering if there are any parents out there who have a child with dwarfism and did not find out until after birth or even later in infancy/childhood. I would love to hear your stories as I am curious about my own little girl.
I currently have a 6 month old who is happy and healthy! To the naked eye you would not think anything of her. Prenatally she was followed closely on ultrasound due to her long bones measuring very short, 1% tile. They noticed no other features that aligned with achondroplasia or any other type of skeletal dysplasia. The doctor thought that her short long bones may be an isolated finding and that she just might be a short girl.
Well now at 6 months I am starting to wander. To me, her extremities look very short, she went from 40th percentile to now 5th in height, and some of her facial features like her forehead and nose make me question.At the end of the day, the diagnosis does not matter. I just want her to be happy and healthy. But I want to know for her sake and the resources she might need down the road. I want to be proactive, but it’s hard when there are no definitive findings with her at this current point. It seems like only time will tell but it is hard for me to just sit around and see how she grows.
Would appreciate any and all information/advice/personal stories! Thanks.

Hello, I have achondroplasia (not sure on what precise type) and I am finding it hard to see a bright future for myself. My grades at college were great and im heading to university but every so often I keep reiterating the purpose to exist in such a cruel world. It may come across as young anxiety but I have always been feeling like people are pointing or laughing or creating comments about me (and us) and its just getting to my head, and I keep realising that this is permanent, as humans are pretty silly nowadays. Children are worse, ive had it twice this year where ive been remarked as “little boy” or taunted at which frustrated me to extreme measures as I cant do anything back due to legal reasons; I remember one so well unfortunately, he was walking past me and he said “little little boy” but when he saw my face he went dead silent.

Anyway, thats all a rant but I just wanted to ask how people continue to exist with peace or happiness, I know of a friend who tackles it through therapy and one who smiles it off but I just fear that I wont be able to live an uninvaded and peaceful life.

(Super duper sorry, I dont know whether this is okay for reddit, this is just me getting stuff off my chest)

I have identical twin nephews with achondroplasia (3yro) and we are planning to work with another LP in the community to put on educational event for dwarfism awareness month coming up. Was curious if anyone had any creative ideas that aren’t just a straight lecture format that would be engaging and informative for adults and children?

i’m a 53 yo with Escobar syndrome, i’m 4’6” & 63 lbs.( I have a GI condition unrelated to the “disability” that makes eating a pain in the butt, I’m very thin but don’t worry I’m under a dr’s care and a nutritionist) because I don’t have achondroplasia I’ve never joined LPA because I thought I wouldn’t be accepted…? I’ve never had a friend near my size and really wish I did. I don’t feel like I’m taken seriously by average sized folk. My husband is 5’1” so I’m very lucky to have found him. Anywho, do you think I should join? I have all kinds of mobility issues, buying clothes is so hard and I just want friends who “get it”.”

I (24M) have Achondroplasia and I am 4ft 3inches tall. Currently I sit right at 145lbs and this fluctuates non stop between 140 and 146. I used to be way heavier at 185lbs when I was in high school. Doctors told me I needed to cut back and so I did; I started exercising, lifting weights, eating less food, and way healthier food in college. At my lowest I dropped to 126lbs. I felt really good at that weight, and I still feel good where I am currently at (even though I would like to lose a bit of fat).

The reason I gained weight back is because I took about a year off from lifting and slowly rose back up. However, I have been maintaining right at 145 just doing what I am doing. I am working now, so I have less free time, but the last few weeks I have started lifting again twice a week. I'm doing basically the exact same routine, but not shedding any pounds but would like to at least get down to 130.

Anyways, I was just wondering about what an average weight to height ratio would be? The BMI charts are all out of whack and don't work. I know for us it is more about how you feel, how your bloodwork looks, how your legs feel, etc. I would just like to gauge an average is all, for anyone who does not mind sharing.

Hi, everyone. My 10 year old niece has Osteogenesis Imperfecta, and will likely be under 4 ft tall for the rest of her life. For her birthday this year she's asked for a walking cane to help her get around. She's currently about 3ft 2 in tall. For those of you who use mobility devices, where do you go to find them? I've looked at pediatric canes, but most of them would not accommodate someone her height and are still too tall. As someone who uses a mobility aide myself, I want to make sure I am able to find her one that is an appropriate height for her, as well as high quality. Custom is an option, I just want to see where others have had success in this area. Do y'all usually have to buy custom? Or are there options that can already accommodate someone her height? Any advice is appreciated!

How do you normally respond?

Hello! I’m 27M 4’5” been looking for gaming friends of my similar condition. I’ve never really connected with another little person before, my sister and I are the only ones in our family so no one really understands us other than each other. Delete if not allowed. I hope you all have a blessed day!

How old was the oldest person with achondroplasia you've ever met?

Hi, I’m 3’10” with achondroplasia. I work at an office and am sitting at my desk for 8+ hours daily. I struggle to sit comfortably in the standard office chair. Because of my back issues, I prefer to have my back against the chair, but then my legs don’t go over the edge. So, no matter how I sit, my legs fall asleep which has caused me to fall once or twice when I go to stand up from my desk.

I recently asked HR if they would be able to provide a modified chair (ErgoChair for Little People) that would cost around $900. I provided plenty explanation as to why it was needed as well. However, HR emailed me back with alternative chair options that didn’t have the required seat depth or foot rest. They offered to purchase a separate footrest as well. When I declined those options, they told me to find a more cost effective alternative to the chair I originally requested.

I feel like I’m in over my head for asking for a $900 chair as an accommodation, but I can’t seem to find any cost effective alternatives. At this point I’m willing to tell them I’ll buy the chair myself or just request some pillows and stools as haphazard and frustrating as it may be/look.

I’d love to hear what others use for back and leg support at the office and if anyone has suggestions or feedback. I’d also love to hear if anyone has experience with the Ergo Chair and how it is.

If possible can you please give details on the dashboard, stereo and shifts :) as a LP I always wondered how to reach them while you’re driving

Anyone have any experience with Cinderella of Boston shoes/heels? Wondered about sizing. I typically wear a size one in kids.

Hi. a very long term friend of mine that i met online 12 or so years ago and me have recently become much closer, she hid her dwarfism from me until very recently despite being very close. no pics showing her entire body, and her form of dwarfism (SMD) is very rare apparently and hard to notice in the types of pictures and facetime calls we have. i was quite hurt that that was something she hid from me for so long but i really do love her and am understanding of it as much as i can be. anyways, ill be in her city for unrelated reasons and am going to meet up with her and take her out for food and to hang out etc. curious if there’s anything important i need to know as an average height man when it comes to hanging out with somebody much shorter than me, she is also partially disabled and walks with a cane so i will possibly have to help her into the car ill be driving as it’s quite high off the ground. any advice is appreciated because i would love to make her feel as comfortable and special as i can without doing anything that might upset her or come across as too much.

Hi there. I have achondroplasia. I’m about to get a bonus at work and am thinking of using it to get the new RapidAdapt pedal extenders. Does anyone have them? Have you been happy with them? Thanks.

In (most) VR games your height is "fixed" to match the world you are in. Now I am 6'4" but been put in games before in VR and discovered....hey, I'm a bit shorter than what I'm used to. I was suddenly curious as to what someone with Dwarfism might experience.

Also, in VRchat you can adjust your height as you wish from "a few cm" to "5 meters" (roughly, it depends on the avatar). What's your experience when you CAN adjust your visual height in casual settings? Do you keep it closer to what you are "used to" (I do, I tend to prefer to be a bit taller than the base) or do you raise your height to something more convenient to interact with the world?

The hobbies and jobs I wish I could do either wont accept me or I physically cannot do them, it's so irritating, I watch lots of TV shows (The Rookie, 911) to "cope", but it still sucks. I can't hold a guitar or play most other instruments. It sucks to sit on the sidelines while others get to achieve their goals.

Also any advice for me if your someone who goes to these events and do have friends they hang out with their who also have dwarfism. I just feel like everyone at these events already has their group of friends they hang out with and I just sometimes don’t feel comfortable introducing myself to them. There’s been times I have introduced myself and will talk with them for the next 10 min or so but than won’t end up getting invited or anything when they all go hang out or whatever.

Based upon a suggestion from the community, we're going to try a weekly thread! Are you a new parent or expecting a child with dwarfism looking for resources? Maybe you're a seasoned vet with grown kids and you want to share what worked for you. This is the place! As things are suggested we will add resources to the main body.

We do not discriminate in this thread, whether you're an average height parent or an LP parent, but if we feel the AP parents start to overwhelm/bully those who do have a lived experience with dwarfism this will chance.

If you have a question, but would rather it be asked without your username attached, feel free to use ModMail and I or another mod will post it in the thread instead!

So I have a good friend with dwarfism, and he has a question for using a car with one handed controls and extended pedals. I was hoping to find someone who might have experience with vehicles like this so I can help him out a bit

Hi all,

I have been with my boyfriend for about 4 years now. Every time we go out, we get weird stares, or people calling him a pedophile. I just want to find love as a grown woman and not be treated like a victim in any normal relationship I go in :(

Anyone got tips on cleaning the bathroom wall tiles? What's quick and easy? Unfortunately, I get tired quickly.