Temple syndrome is a rare genetic condition that can affect growth, muscle tone, feeding, puberty, and learning. Many people first hear about Temple syndrome when a baby has poor feeding, low muscle tone, or slow growth, but not everyone will have the same experience. Temple syndrome is lifelong, and signs often begin in infancy or early childhood, although some people are recognized later. Many living with Temple syndrome can be treated with supportive care such as feeding support, physical therapy, hormone-based treatment when needed, and help with learning or behavior. Life expectancy in Temple syndrome can vary with overall health and complications, but it is often not thought to be greatly shortened.
How many people live with Temple syndrome?
Temple syndrome appears to be extremely rare. There is no direct global or U.S. headcount, but Orphanet classifies it as affecting fewer than 1 in 1 million people, which suggests fewer than about 8,100 people worldwide (Orphanet, 2024) and fewer than about 340 people in the United States (Orphanet, 2024).
Overview
Temple syndromeSymptoms
Temple syndrome often causes low muscle tone, feeding problems, and slow growth in infancy. Later, many children develop short height and early puberty. Learning, behavior, and body fat patterns can vary.
Outlook and prognosis
With early support for feeding, growth, learning, and often early puberty, many people with Temple syndrome do well and become increasingly independent over time. Temple syndrome can affect development differently from one child to another, so long-term needs vary.
Causes and risk factors
Temple syndrome is caused by changes in part of chromosome 14 that affect gene activity. It can be inherited, but many cases happen for the first time. No lifestyle or environmental factors are known to cause it.
Genetic influences
Genetics are central to Temple syndrome. It usually happens when certain genes on chromosome 14 are not working from the usual parent-of-origin pattern, so genetic testing is often key to confirming Temple syndrome.
Diagnosis
Temple syndrome is usually diagnosed by recognizing a pattern of clinical features and confirming it with genetic tests. In many families, the genetic diagnosis of Temple syndrome helps explain symptoms and rule out similar conditions.
Treatment and drugs
Temple syndrome treatment focuses on feeding and growth, hormone care, and development. Many children benefit from nutrition support, physical and speech therapy, and close monitoring of early or delayed puberty. Some also receive growth hormone treatment.
Symptoms
Temple syndrome often affects everyday life early, with babies feeding slowly, feeling floppy, or staying smaller than expected. As children grow, they may be shorter than their peers, take longer to sit, walk, or speak, and later start puberty too soon. The early features of Temple syndrome can be easy to miss at first, and features vary from person to person and can change over time. Many living with Temple syndrome also gain weight easily in later childhood.
Babies with Temple syndrome are often small before birth or born with a low birth weight. Many stay shorter than average as they grow, and some also have relatively small hands and feet.
Low muscle tone can make a baby feel floppy and less strong when being held. It may also delay head control, sitting, crawling, and walking.
Some infants tire quickly while feeding, suck weakly, or have trouble taking in enough milk. This can make early weight gain slow and may mean feeds take longer than expected.
Many children reach movement milestones later, and some also have speech or learning difficulties. Day to day, this can mean needing extra time with physical tasks, communication, or schoolwork.
How people usually first notice Temple syndrome?
Temple syndrome is often first noticed in infancy or early childhood, when families or doctors see a pattern of low muscle tone, weak sucking or feeding trouble, and slower growth than expected. As children get older, the first signs of Temple syndrome may also include short height, small hands and feet, and development that seems a bit delayed, although the exact mix of features can vary from child to child. In some cases, how Temple syndrome is first noticed is during pregnancy or soon after birth because of low birth weight or slower growth, while in others it becomes clearer later when early puberty or ongoing growth concerns lead to genetic testing.
Types of Temple syndrome
Temple syndrome is a genetic condition, and the main variants of Temple syndrome are usually defined by what changes normal activity in a small imprinted region on chromosome 14. Researchers describe these categories to better understand patterns of the condition. The day-to-day features often overlap across variants, but growth, muscle tone, puberty timing, and learning or behavior differences can vary from one person to another.
UPD(14)mat
This type happens when both copies of chromosome 14 come from the mother instead of one from each parent. Many living with this variant have the typical Temple syndrome pattern, such as low muscle tone in infancy, feeding difficulties early on, slower growth, and a tendency toward early puberty later in childhood. Learning, speech, and behavior differences can also occur, but severity can vary.
14q32 deletion
This variant is caused by a deletion on the father’s copy of the 14q32 imprinted region, which switches off important paternal gene activity. The symptoms are often very similar to other types of Temple syndrome, including short stature, small hands and feet, and early symptoms of Temple syndrome such as weak muscle tone and trouble feeding in infancy. Some may have a somewhat different degree of developmental or growth-related concerns depending on the size and exact location of the deletion.
Epimutation
In this type, the DNA sequence may be intact, but the usual imprinting marks in the 14q32 region are altered, so the paternal copy does not work as expected. People with this variant can have the same core Temple syndrome features as other forms, though the balance of symptoms can shift over time. For many, this can mean milder or less typical findings, which may delay diagnosis.
Can I slow down the onset of symptoms?
No, there is no good evidence that lifestyle changes or medicine can meaningfully delay the start of Temple syndrome symptoms, because this is a genetic condition that is usually present from birth or early childhood. Healthy routines such as steady sleep, regular movement, and support with eating and weight can still help overall health, but they have not been shown to prevent the condition or push back when symptoms begin. Early follow-up with a genetics doctor, a hormone specialist, and therapy services can help manage feeding, growth, early puberty, and learning or movement issues sooner, which may improve daily life even though it does not stop the syndrome itself.
What genetics can tell you about symptoms
Yes. Temple syndrome happens because certain genes on chromosome 14 that should be active only from the father are not working as expected, and this change is strongly linked to the main pattern of symptoms, such as low muscle tone and feeding problems early in life, slower growth, earlier puberty, and a tendency toward higher body weight later on. Genetics can confirm the diagnosis and sometimes give clues about the overall pattern, but it usually cannot predict exactly which symptoms will show up, how severe they will be, or when they will begin, because people living with Temple syndrome can be affected in different ways.
Causes and risk factors
Temple syndrome happens when a small group of genes on chromosome 14 that should be active from the father’s side are not working in the usual way. This most often happens by chance because both copies of that gene region come from the mother. It can also happen because a small piece of the father’s chromosome 14 is missing or because the chemical gene marks, called imprinting, are not set correctly. Family history can be one part of the story, but hormones, nutrition, and other environmental factors may affect how strongly some features show up. Nothing a parent did before or during pregnancy is known to cause Temple syndrome, and the risk of having another child with Temple syndrome is usually low unless there is a rare inherited chromosome or imprinting change.
What are the most common causes or risk factors?
Temple syndrome is usually caused by a genetic problem in a small part of chromosome 14, where certain genes are supposed to be active only on the father’s copy; this can happen when both copies of chromosome 14 come from the mother, when a piece of the father’s chromosome 14 is missing, or when the normal chemical “on/off” marking for that area does not work properly. In most families this happens by chance, with no known lifestyle, pregnancy, or environmental risk factors, although rarely the risk is higher if a parent carries an unusual chromosome change or there is a family history of the condition.
Environmental and biological risk factors
Temple syndrome starts before birth and is usually linked to changes in how a small part of chromosome 14 is controlled. Doctors often group risks into internal (biological) and external (environmental), and when people ask about environmental risk factors for Temple syndrome, the strongest known risks are actually biological ones. No everyday exposure has been clearly proven to cause Temple syndrome.
Temple syndrome can happen when the usual on-off marking of a chromosome 14 region is not set correctly in the egg, sperm, or early embryo. These changes often arise by chance before birth and are not caused by anything a parent did day to day.
Some people with Temple syndrome have both copies of chromosome 14 from the mother instead of one from each parent. This usually results from a random chromosome separation problem very early in development.
A small missing piece on the father’s chromosome 14 can lead to Temple syndrome if it affects the imprinted region. In many families, this change is new in the child rather than linked to a known outside exposure.
In cases related to both chromosome 14 copies coming from the mother, the chance may be slightly higher when egg cells are more likely to separate chromosomes unevenly. This kind of chromosome error becomes more common with increasing maternal age.
Genetic risk factors
Temple syndrome usually happens when a small group of genes on chromosome 14 is not getting the father’s normal signal. In this area of DNA, it matters whether a gene comes from the mother or the father. The main genetic causes of Temple syndrome are two maternal copies of chromosome 14, a deletion on the father’s chromosome 14, and a methylation change that alters gene activity in the same region. Most cases happen for the first time in a family, but recurrence risk can be higher when a parent carries a chromosome change involving this area.
Two maternal copies: In many people with Temple syndrome, both copies of chromosome 14 come from the mother instead of one from each parent. That means the father’s normal gene activity in this imprinted region is missing.
Paternal deletion: Some people have a small missing piece on the father’s chromosome 14 in the key control region. This can remove genes or disrupt the switches that normally turn the father’s copy on.
Methylation change: Others have a chemical tagging problem in the same region, called a methylation defect. The DNA may still be present, but the tags are set incorrectly, so the father’s copy is not used in the usual way.
Inherited rearrangement: Rarely, a parent carries a balanced chromosome rearrangement or a small inherited change involving this region. This can raise the chance of Temple syndrome happening again in a family. Genetic counseling can help clarify that recurrence risk.
Lifestyle risk factors
Temple syndrome is not caused by lifestyle habits, but daily habits can meaningfully affect growth, body composition, metabolism, mobility, and day-to-day functioning. When people ask about lifestyle risk factors for Temple syndrome, the key issue is how lifestyle affects Temple syndrome rather than what causes it. Supportive routines can help reduce complications such as excess weight gain, low muscle tone, reduced fitness, and metabolic problems.
A pattern of excess calories, sugary drinks, and highly processed foods can worsen weight gain and insulin resistance in people with Temple syndrome. Balanced meals with appropriate portions may help support healthier body composition and reduce metabolic strain.
Low activity levels can aggravate reduced muscle tone, low endurance, and progressive fat gain seen in Temple syndrome. Regular movement, strength-focused exercise, and adapted physical activity may improve mobility, fitness, and metabolic health.
Long periods of sitting can further reduce energy expenditure and make weight management harder in Temple syndrome. Breaking up sedentary time may support muscle use, daily function, and better cardiometabolic control.
Irregular or insufficient sleep can increase appetite dysregulation, fatigue, and difficulty with activity in Temple syndrome. Good sleep routines may make it easier to manage behavior, energy, and weight-related complications.
Risk prevention
Temple syndrome is a genetic condition, so there is no proven way to prevent the condition itself from happening. Prevention usually means lowering the chance of complications and supporting healthy growth, movement, eating, and puberty over time. Different people need different prevention strategies—there’s no single formula. For many living with Temple syndrome, regular follow-up can help catch concerns early and make day-to-day life easier.
Ongoing care with your child’s doctor and specialists can help track growth, weight, development, and puberty in Temple syndrome. This can make it easier to spot early symptoms of Temple syndrome that may need treatment or closer monitoring.
Good nutrition and steady growth monitoring may help lower the risk of poor weight gain in infancy and excess weight later in childhood. Feeding support, practical meal planning, and early advice can be especially helpful when appetite or body composition changes over time.
Regular physical activity can support muscle strength, balance, bone health, and weight control in people with Temple syndrome. Exercise plans often work best when they are adapted to a person’s age, stamina, and any movement difficulties.
Sleep problems should be recognized early because poor sleep can worsen daytime tiredness, behavior, and overall well-being. If snoring, restless sleep, or breathing pauses show up, medical assessment can help reduce complications.
Can you prevent Temple syndrome?
No, Temple syndrome cannot usually be prevented. It happens because of a genetic change that begins very early before birth, and there are no proven lifestyle steps that can stop it from happening. If Temple syndrome has affected your family, a genetics specialist can help explain the chance of it happening again in a future pregnancy.
Transmission
Temple syndrome is not infectious, so it cannot be caught from someone else or passed through close contact, coughing, food, sex, or blood. Instead, the genetic transmission of Temple syndrome involves a change in how certain genes on chromosome 14 are inherited or switched on, because these genes normally depend on whether they came from the mother or the father.
Many living with Temple syndrome have it because of a new genetic change that happened by chance around conception, which means the condition is often not inherited in the usual way and parents did nothing to cause it. Less often, Temple syndrome can be passed from parent to child, so a genetics specialist can explain how Temple syndrome is inherited and what that may mean for future pregnancies.
When to test your genes
Genetic testing for Temple syndrome is most useful when a child has a pattern of slow growth before or after birth, low muscle tone, feeding difficulties, small hands or feet, or early puberty, especially if routine evaluations do not explain it. Testing can confirm the diagnosis early and guide growth, puberty, nutrition, and developmental care.
Diagnosis
Temple syndrome is usually suspected when a child has a pattern of growth, feeding, or puberty-related changes that fit together rather than one single symptom on its own. In daily life, this can look like poor growth in early childhood, low muscle tone, trouble feeding as a baby, and then signs of early puberty later on. Doctors usually begin with a careful exam and review of development, then confirm the diagnosis of Temple syndrome with specific genetic testing. Getting a diagnosis is often a turning point toward answers and support.
Doctors look at growth, muscle tone, feeding history, development, and body features that can appear in Temple syndrome. No single feature proves the condition, but the overall pattern can strongly suggest it.
Height, weight, and head growth are tracked over time to see whether growth has been slower than expected. Bone age imaging may also help if there are concerns about early puberty or differences between growth and physical development.
Many living with Temple syndrome develop signs of puberty earlier than expected, so doctors may check for breast development, testicular changes, or pubic hair at a young age. Blood tests for hormone levels can help show whether puberty has started too soon.
Blood tests may be used to rule out more common causes of poor growth, low muscle tone, or early puberty. Tests may feel repetitive, but each one helps rule out different causes.
How is Temple syndrome diagnosed?
Doctors usually suspect Temple syndrome from a child’s pattern of growth and development, such as poor growth before birth, weak muscle tone and feeding problems in infancy, shorter height, or puberty starting earlier than expected. Because these signs can look like several other conditions, the diagnosis is usually confirmed with a blood test that checks for changes in chromosome 14 and whether that area is switched on and off in the usual way. Doctors may also use growth, hormone, and development checks to understand how the condition is affecting the child, but the genetic test is what confirms the diagnosis.
Stages of Temple syndrome
Temple syndrome does not have defined progression stages. This is because it is a genetic condition identified by a pattern of growth, development, and hormone-related features rather than a set step-by-step worsening over time. Doctors usually start with a conversation about early symptoms of Temple syndrome, such as poor growth in childhood, earlier-than-expected puberty, low muscle tone, or learning and behavior differences, and then combine this with a physical exam and growth history. Diagnosis is usually confirmed with genetic testing, and follow-up focuses on monitoring growth, puberty, development, and any related health needs as someone gets older.
Outlook and prognosis
The outlook for Temple syndrome is generally favorable, with most affected people expected to have a normal life expectancy and no evidence that the condition itself is usually life-limiting. Prognosis depends mainly on the severity of growth failure, hypotonia, early feeding difficulties, and later metabolic issues such as obesity or type 2 diabetes if weight gain is not well managed. Many children improve with supportive care, including nutritional support, physical therapy, monitoring of puberty, and in some cases growth hormone treatment, which can help optimize growth and body composition. Learning and behavioral outcomes are variable but are often in the mild range, and many individuals can achieve good functional independence. Long-term follow-up is important because early or precocious puberty, short adult stature, and metabolic complications can affect health and quality of life over time. Mortality data are very limited because Temple syndrome is rare, but current evidence does not suggest a markedly increased risk of early death in most affected individuals.
Long-term effects
Temple syndrome can affect growth, puberty, body composition, learning, and day-to-day independence over time, but the pattern is not the same for everyone. In childhood, some features are more obvious, while others become clearer during the teen years and adulthood. Everyone’s path looks different, and ongoing support often helps doctors track the long-term effects of Temple syndrome across different life stages.
Many people with Temple syndrome remain shorter than expected as adults, even after growth is complete. This can affect clothing fit, reach, and other everyday tasks, but the degree varies widely.
Puberty often starts earlier than usual, which can speed up bone maturation and limit final adult height. In some children, early body changes can also bring emotional and social challenges alongside the physical changes.
Temple syndrome often raises the risk of increased body fat, especially around the trunk, with lower muscle mass over time. For many, this can mean less stamina and a higher chance of later metabolic problems such as insulin resistance.
Low muscle tone in early life may continue as reduced strength or endurance in later childhood and adulthood. Some may find that stairs, sports, or long walks are more tiring than expected.
How is it to live with Temple syndrome?
Living with Temple syndrome can mean a mix of challenges that changes with age: in early childhood, many people have low muscle tone, feeding difficulties, short stature, and delays in motor or speech development, while later they may need support for learning, behavior, weight management, or early puberty. In daily life, this can mean more therapy visits, closer monitoring of growth and development, and extra help at school or with routines, although many children and adults with Temple syndrome build strong skills and make steady progress over time. For parents, siblings, and other caregivers, the condition often brings extra medical appointments and planning, but it can also foster a very attentive, team-based family life centered on support, patience, and celebrating small gains.
Treatment and drugs
Temple syndrome is treated by managing the problems it can cause over time, since there is no cure that fixes the underlying genetic change. Treatment often looks different for each person, but many living with Temple syndrome are followed by a team that may include a hormone specialist, dietitian, and therapists for feeding, movement, speech, or learning needs. In babies and young children, care often focuses on feeding support, steady growth, and help with low muscle tone, while later on doctors may watch closely for short height, weight gain, and early puberty. Some people with Temple syndrome may benefit from hormone-based treatment when there is a clear medical reason, and regular checkups help guide those decisions safely. Supportive care can make a real difference in how you feel day to day, and early treatment for Temple syndrome often helps children build skills and stay as healthy as possible.
Can you cure Temple syndrome?
No, Temple syndrome cannot be cured at this time because it is a genetic condition that people are born with. Treatment focuses on helping with the problems it can cause, such as slow growth, feeding or eating issues, early puberty, learning and behavior challenges, and low muscle tone. Many living with Temple syndrome do best with regular follow-up and supportive care, which can improve daily life and help children reach their best development.
Non-drug treatment
Daily care for Temple syndrome often focuses on eating, movement, growth, learning, and emotional well-being. Many living with Temple syndrome need support that changes with age, from help with feeding in infancy to exercise, school support, and routine monitoring later on. For many, treatment begins not at the pharmacy, but with a team that may include a dietitian, physical therapist, speech therapist, and developmental specialists.
Babies with Temple syndrome may tire easily with feeds, have weak sucking, or gain weight slowly. Feeding therapy and guidance from a dietitian can help make meals safer, easier, and more effective.
As children grow, appetite and weight can change, and some may be at higher risk of excess body fat. A balanced meal plan, regular meal times, and family-based nutrition coaching can help with healthy growth and may ease early symptoms of Temple syndrome linked to low energy and poor stamina.
Low muscle tone and delayed motor milestones are common, so sitting, standing, and walking may take longer. Physical therapy can build strength, balance, and coordination for everyday tasks like climbing stairs or keeping up at school.
Some may find dressing, handwriting, feeding themselves, or other daily activities harder because of low tone or coordination problems. Occupational therapy works on practical skills and can suggest tools or routines that make day-to-day life smoother.
Your genes may have an impact on how drugs work for you
For people with Temple syndrome, treatment is usually aimed at day-to-day problems like growth, early puberty, feeding, weight gain, or learning and behavior needs, rather than the genetic change itself. At this time, there is no well-established evidence that the genetic changes linked to Temple syndrome consistently change how the usual medicines for these problems work, so doctors generally choose treatment based on symptoms, age, growth, and overall health. Even so, many living with Temple syndrome may respond a little differently from one another, so care is usually adjusted over time, like when a child seems more sensitive to side effects or needs a dose changed as they grow.
Pharmacological treatments
Medication for Temple syndrome is usually aimed at the problems it can cause rather than the genetic change itself. Medication is often just one chapter in care, alongside nutrition support, physical therapy, and regular follow-up with an endocrinologist. The best-known drug treatment is growth hormone treatment for Temple syndrome when short stature or low growth hormone levels are concerns. Some people also need medicines for early puberty, reflux, or blood sugar problems.
Somatropin is the main medicine doctors may use when Temple syndrome affects growth, body composition, or muscle tone. It is given as an injection and is usually managed by a pediatric hormone specialist with regular checks of height, blood sugar, and side effects.
Leuprolide or triptorelin may be used if Temple syndrome leads to central precocious puberty, meaning puberty starts too early. These medicines help slow puberty so there is more time for growth and can reduce some of the emotional and physical strain of early body changes.
Estrogen or testosterone may sometimes be used later if hormone levels need support during puberty care, especially after treatment to pause early puberty. The exact plan is individualized, because not everyone with Temple syndrome needs this step.
Infants and children with Temple syndrome sometimes need medicines such as omeprazole or lansoprazole if reflux is causing pain, poor feeding, or frequent vomiting. These drugs do not treat the syndrome itself, but they can make feeding and day-to-day comfort easier.
Genetic influences
When a child has slow growth, low muscle tone, or signs of early puberty, families often want to know why, and Temple syndrome has a clear genetic cause. Temple syndrome happens when a small region on chromosome 14 does not receive or use the father’s genetic signal in the usual way, a problem linked to a process called imprinting, where some genes work differently depending on which parent they come from. This can happen if both copies of chromosome 14 come from the mother, if part of the father’s chromosome 14 is missing, or if the normal chemical marking that switches this region on and off is disrupted. In other words, the genetic causes of Temple syndrome are established and are not related to anything a parent did during pregnancy.
Most cases arise by chance during the formation of the egg or sperm, or very early after conception, rather than being passed down in a simple pattern through generations. To put these pieces together, doctors may suggest genetic counseling, which can help explain the exact genetic finding, whether other family members are likely to be affected, and the chance of it happening again in another pregnancy.
Is Temple syndrome genetic?
Genetics are central to Temple syndrome. It usually happens when certain genes on chromosome 14 are not working from the usual parent-of-origin pattern, so genetic testing is often key to confirming Temple syndrome.
Having a genetic risk is not necessarily a diagnosis
Genetic changes are a normal part of human biology and are common in the general population. Most of these changes do not directly affect health and are simply part of natural human diversity. For many genes, carrying a change associated with a condition suggests a possible link rather than a definite diagnosis, especially when several genes and environmental factors are involved. In some cases, however, a single well-studied change in a specific gene can be enough to confirm a diagnosis.
Pharmacogenetics—how genetics influence drug effects
For many living with Temple syndrome, the genetic result matters because it confirms the diagnosis and helps doctors plan care around the problems most likely to appear, such as poor growth, early puberty, feeding issues, and later weight gain. Temple syndrome happens because certain genes on chromosome 14 are not active in the usual way, so there is currently no medicine that corrects the root cause itself. Not every difference in response is genetic, but in Temple syndrome the genetic diagnosis often shapes how closely growth and hormones are monitored and when treatment is started. The medications used to treat Temple syndrome are usually aimed at specific symptoms, and some children may benefit from growth hormone for short stature or medicines that delay puberty if it starts too early. At present, the exact genetic subtype usually helps more with confirming Temple syndrome and guiding follow-up than with predicting a unique response to a particular drug. Because of that, treatment is personalized, with genetics, symptoms, and regular checkups all helping the care team decide what is most useful.
Interactions with other conditions
Temple syndrome can affect several parts of health at once, so some problems may show up alongside it rather than as completely separate issues. Children and adults living with Temple syndrome may have low muscle tone, a tendency to gain excess weight, and changes in blood sugar, which can raise the risk of obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes over time. Day-to-day, it can feel like one health issue amplifies the other, such as when extra weight makes sleep problems, tiredness, or joint strain harder to manage. Early puberty, which is common in Temple syndrome, can also interact with growth and bone health and may affect how doctors monitor height, weight, and development. Because Temple syndrome can overlap with feeding difficulties early in life and weight gain later on, regular follow-up helps doctors watch for early symptoms of type 2 diabetes and other complications linked to metabolism. Interactions can look very different from person to person, so care is usually tailored to the specific mix of growth, hormone, nutrition, and learning or behavior needs someone has.
How genes can cause diseases
Humans have more than 20,000 genes, each carrying out one or a few specific functions in the body. One gene instructs the body to digest lactose from milk, another tells the body how to build strong bones and another prevents the body's cells from beginning to multiply uncontrollably and developing into cancer. As all of these genes combined are the building instructions for our body, a defect in one of these genes can have severe health consequences.
Through decades of genetic research, we know the genetic code of any healthy/functional human gene. We have also identified that in certain positions on a gene, some individuals may have a different genetic letter from the one you have. We call these hotspots "Genetic Variations" or "Variants" in short. In many cases, studies have been able to show that having the genetic letter "G" in the position makes you healthy, but having the letter "A" in the same position disrupts the gene function and causes a disease. Genopedia allows you to view these variants in genes and summarizes all that we know from scientific research, which genetic letters (Genotype) have good or bad consequences on your health or on your traits.
What other conditions can cause similar symptoms to Temple syndrome?
Temple syndrome can look a lot like Prader-Willi syndrome, especially in babies and young children with low muscle tone, feeding problems, slow growth, and later weight gain. It can also be confused with Silver-Russell syndrome, which can cause poor growth before and after birth and trouble feeding. In some children, doctors may also need to rule out more common hormone-related causes of short height or early puberty.
History
Temple syndrome did not become widely recognized all at once. In the early years, doctors saw children with a similar pattern of growth and development differences, but the cause was not yet clear. A family might notice that a child was smaller than expected, had low muscle tone in infancy, or later showed signs of puberty earlier than usual, while doctors were still trying to understand how those features fit together.
As medical science evolved, these repeated observations began to form a clearer picture. What is now called Temple syndrome was first identified through careful reports of people who shared a recognizable group of features, including slow growth before and after birth, feeding difficulties in early life, and later changes in body shape or timing of puberty. At first, some of these children may have been given other diagnoses, because the condition can overlap with more familiar growth or developmental disorders.
Over time, laboratory testing helped explain why these features appeared together. Researchers learned that Temple syndrome is linked to a change in how a small region of chromosome 14 is inherited or regulated, rather than to a problem that would have been visible on a routine exam alone. This was an important shift, because it moved the condition from being recognized only by symptoms to being confirmed with genetic testing.
That progress also changed the name used in medicine. Older papers often described the condition using technical chromosome terms, especially maternal uniparental disomy 14, before Temple syndrome became the more common clinical name. Many living with Temple syndrome today are diagnosed earlier than in the past, partly because testing is more available and doctors are more aware of the early symptoms of Temple syndrome.
The history of Temple syndrome is still fairly recent compared with many better-known conditions, but understanding has grown steadily. Doctors now recognize that the condition can vary from one person to another, which helps explain why some children were missed in the past. Knowing this history can make current care feel a little more grounded: the condition is better described, better recognized, and more likely to be identified in time to support growth, development, and family planning.