Constant hunger

My nephew was adopted 2 1/2 years ago, he is 3 1/2 now.  He was very overweight at that time.  We were told that his biological mother fed him constantly to keep him calm, he couldn't even rollover.  My sister has worked very hard over the past 2 years to try to structure his eating but we as a family know that there is something else wrong with him. His symptoms are exactly what Prader-Willi sites discuss.  We had him tested for diabetes and Prader-Willi disease but were told that neither of these were the cause of his constant hunger.    My concern now is that at 3 he is hiding, lying and stealing food, so the obvious eating disorder is leading to many social issues.  The doctors tell my sister she is doing everything right but he is getting worse.  I am concerned he will eat something that will jeopardize his life.  Is there a place that specializes in childhood eating disorders or a way to have him part of a case study.  We just need someone to say something other than we are doing everything we can do...

[Renee Radenberg]

If the measurements are correct, his weight is between the 90-95th percentile and his height (?) is below the 5th percentile for his age. He may appear heavier than he is due to his smaller stature. At 3½ he needs daily approximately 1600 calories to grow. There is no ‘Eating Disorder’ treatment for that age; however, you may get further suggestions from the Expert Child Behavior forum. Thank you for your question.