I’m almost 11 and I still look like a child. When will I start to grow?

Last updated on August 22, 2020

Question:

When will I start to grow? I am almost 11 and I still look like a child. I still have baby fat.

Answer:

The precise age varies from person to person. I cannot tell you precisely when you will start to grow. The best that I could do is tell you how far you have gotten in your development so far.

A Dr. Tanner developed a simple five stage scale to help doctors determine how far a person has developed. Stage 1 is childhood and stage 5 is adulthood.

Puberty is the point in time when your body begins to change from a child’s to an adult’s. On average, puberty starts around age 12 for a boy, though it is not unusual for some boys to begin changing as early as age 9 or as late as age 15. The first external signs of the onset of puberty means you have reached Tanner Stage 2.

The period of rapid growth starts about 1.5 to 2 years after puberty is reached — the average being between 13 and 14 years of age. Rapid growth occurs in Tanner Stage 3.

There is a questionnaire you can take which covers various details about the external signs of changes to your body. Based on the answers you give, it estimates which stage of development you have reached. It is likely that you may have already passed puberty but have not noticed the signs.