What Is Achondroplasia? Resources + Tools
What Is Achondroplasia? Resources + Tools

Social, Emotional,
and Mental Health

6 TO 12 YEARS

Social, Emotional,
and Mental Health

6 TO 12 YEARS

Social life and inclusion for children with achondroplasia

Children with achondroplasia may get extra attention at school or in public because they look different from their peers. Often, this attention is positive, and some children feel proud to stand out and enjoy being recognized for who they are. But standing out can also come with challenges. Some children may experience teasing, bullying, or being left out of activities. Others may be treated as if they’re younger or less capable than they really are. They may also be stared at, asked uncomfortable or overly personal questions, or even have their photo taken without permission. These experiences can be hard not only for children, but also for their families.

Many of these challenges are not unique to achondroplasia—other minority groups can face similar experiences. Parents and caregivers should check in regularly with their children about how they’re feeling and what they’re experiencing.

Despite these challenges, most children with achondroplasia develop strong self-confidence and a powerful sense of identity. With support from trusted adults, friends, and their community, they can learn how to handle unwanted attention, speak up for themselves, and take pride in who they are.

If your child is facing bullying or other social challenges, the following resources can help:

StopBullying.gov SayNoBullying.org PACER’s National Bullying 
Prevention Center Billie’s Bravery Against Bullies

You can support your child by having open conversations at home, teaching them to stand up for themselves safely, and modeling how to treat others with kindness and respect. With the right support, many children with achondroplasia will grow up feeling confident and proud of who they are.

Building a positive environment for your child with achondroplasia

Parents play a powerful role in shaping how their child sees themselves and the world around them. Below are some ways in which you can help create a positive and supportive environment for your child with achondroplasia.

Talk about achondroplasia

  • Have open and supportive conversations at home
  • Answer questions in a sensitive and age-appropriate way

Encourage body positivity

  • Focus on their strengths and what their body can do
  • Model self-love with your own words and actions
  • Be aware of how you talk about other people who look different

Support their identity

  • Encourage their hobbies
  • Seek connections with peers and role models living with short stature

Promote self-advocacy

  • Involve your child in decisions and help them speak up for their needs

Treat them according to their age, not their size

  • Teach others to do the same

Be mindful of media portrayals

  • Encourage your child to read books and watch shows and movies that portray people with differences in a positive light

Acknowledge cultural views

  • Attitudes toward achondroplasia may vary between families, cultures, and communities. Helping your child understand and respond to different views with empathy can foster resilience and self-confidence

Build connections

For more ways to connect with peers and role
models, visit Building a Support Network

Helping your child build confidence.

As a parent of a child with achondroplasia, you play an important role in helping them build confidence and self-love. You can use the worksheet below with your child to help them explore and celebrate what they love about themselves.

What I Love About MyselfDownload PDF

Helping your child talk about achondroplasia

As your child gets older, they may get questions from classmates, teachers, or strangers about their height. One helpful way to prepare for these questions is by working together to create a quick, ready-made response. The guide below can help you and your child create a 1-minute message that feels right for them.

Achondroplasia in My Own WordsDownload PDF

Supporting the mental and emotional health of a child with achondroplasia

Children with achondroplasia may face bullying, teasing, or social stigma. These experiences can affect their social and emotional well-being and, in some cases, may lead to anxiety or depression.

What to watch for:

What to watch for:

  • Anxiety may show up as fear, worry, irritability, anger, trouble sleeping, and/or physical complaints like fatigue, headaches, and stomachaches. While heightened anxiety is common during adolescence due to developmental and social changes, children with achondroplasia may also feel anxious about hospitals, doctors, and medical procedures
  • Depression can look like persistent sadness, low energy, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, changes in eating or sleeping, inability to feel pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable, trouble paying attention, low self-esteem, or negative self-talk. In cases of severe depression, thinking about or attempting suicide may occur

How to help:

Support from family, friends, and teachers who understand achondroplasia can help your child’s emotional well-being and help them feel less alone. If you notice signs of emotional distress, talk to a health care provider, school counselor, or mental health professional who understands the needs of children with differences. Advocacy organizations, like Little People of America (LPA), can also be a great resource for emotional support.

Next section: Daily life

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HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY

“Our daughter is a person. She has feelings. Yes, she may be physically different than other children or other people, but I think that it is important to be aware of those differences without necessarily calling attention to them.”

- Father of a teenager living with achondroplasia

“What I want to convey to society is that rare conditions exist, and there are many people in the world who need help. I genuinely wish that the world would be kinder. I hope people have a level of knowledge that allows them to understand the condition when they see a child that is smaller or looks different.”

- Mother of a child living with achondroplasia

“I would tell myself back then [at time of diagnosis], just take a deep breath and let go of the fear a little bit. Fear is normal. Once you are over that fear, you kind of just dive in. You dive into the information, and you educate yourself and learn everything you can learn about achondroplasia and really try to be your kid’s biggest advocate.”

- Mother of a teenager living with achondroplasia

“We were always outside, we always were being competitive, playing sports, just being kids.”

- Young adult living with achondroplasia

“What we have seen is that she has done a great job of adapting herself, getting creative, doing things a little bit differently, but she always finds a way to be successful.”

- Father of a teenager living with achondroplasia

“The greatest joy as a parent is seeing my son be energetic and cheerful. I hope that my son will continue to look forward proudly, hold his head high, and live confidently and cheerfully.”

- Mother of a child living with achondroplasia

“I was four years old when my younger brother was born. I was young and didn’t understand what achondroplasia was. I don’t care if my brother is tall or short. I was simply happy to have a younger brother.”

- Sibling of a person living with achondroplasia

“Really, we are just like everyone else. We may look different, but we like being treated like everyone else.”

- Teenager living with achondroplasia

“My joy is seeing my child’s daily progress. There were many things she couldn’t do like other children. She is gradually becoming capable of those things, little by little. I realized that it’s okay to grow slowly.”

- Mother of a child living with achondroplasia

“We have relied heavily on the community. We are quite appreciative of the community and the resources that are available to help parents, siblings and individuals with achondroplasia. The diversity within this community has been quite enriching on many levels.”

- Father of a teenager living with achondroplasia

“Having achondroplasia, you are going to come across challenges consistently. The way you are going to deal with them is really going to impact your life. Yes, I have challenges; obstacles get thrown at me all the time, but it’s the way of going about it and realizing there is so much more to life than having achondroplasia.”

- Young adult living with achondroplasia

“Typically, with achondroplasia, people focus on height, but there are other important aspects of the condition that impact quality of life.”

- Father of a teenager living with achondroplasia

“My friends would describe me as someone with a big personality, very outgoing, and someone that always is smiling. I’m a people person, and I love making people happy.”

- Young adult living with achondroplasia

“I see in my future pretty much what anyone else would: graduating school, graduating college, going on to a job I like, starting a family.”

- Teenager living with achondroplasia