[dr.Ira]

A healthy 12-year-old boy is brought to the clinic for a sports participation physical examination. He is planning on trying out for the junior varsity football team. He is going into seventh grade and his school recently switched the high school to seventh through twelfth grade. His mother tells you that he is very concerned because he has "not yet reached puberty" and he is afraid that he is going to be "harassed" by the older boys. Physical examination shows no pubic hair and a preadolescent penis and testes. The remainder of the physical examination is unremarkable. The mother and patient want to know "what is going on." At this time you should
A. advise him that he should consider taking male hormones, such as testosterone
B. explain that puberty usually starts by 10 years old and that he is most likely developmentally delayed
C. recommend that he go for genetic testing to evaluate him for a genetic disease
D. tell him that he should be looking for testicular enlargement as the first sign of puberty
E. tell them that everybody is different and there is no particular, predictable pattern of development