Safety Showcase
Can We Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome?
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Too often we have read news reports about young fathers, mothers, live-in boyfriends, or baby sitters being arrested and charged with causing severe injuries and sometimes death to infants by what is termed, “Shaken Baby Syndrome” [SBS]. It is estimated that at least 25 percent of adults are not aware of the dangers associated with shaking a young child.
SBS is a very serious medical condition that occurs when an infant or young child up until five years of age is shaken vigorously. In fact, one out of four babies who are shaken dies; other injuries include brain damage, cerebral palsy, paralysis, blindness and speech and learning disabilities.
A single shaking episode can result in whiplash-induced bleeding around the brain. There are no obvious outward signs of the injury to a baby or young child’s body, but there is injury inside, particularly in the head or behind the eyes. Adults are cautioned to avoid even the innocent acts of shaking a baby up in the air just for fun, or riding a young child on a knee, which can cause whip-lash-type injuries.
The term SBS was first discussed in medical literature in l972 but knowledge about the syndrome continues to develop. SBS can occur when children are violently shaken either as part of a pattern of abuse or simply because an adult, or young caretaker, has momentarily succumbed to the frustration of responding to a crying baby.
Violent shaking is especially dangerous to infants and young children because their neck muscles are undeveloped and their brain tissue is exceptionally fragile. Vigorous shaking repeatedly pitches the brain in different directions, causing the brain to pull away, tearing brain cells and blood vessels in the process.
SBS can have disastrous consequences for the family. If the child survives, medical bills and continuing care can be an enormous burden. The child may even require institutionalization or other types of long term care.
The American Academy of Pediatrics released a technical report on Shaken Baby Syndrome in July 2001. It includes the following statement, “ Shaken Baby Syndrome is a serious form of child maltreatment most often involving children younger than two years but may be seen in children up to 5 years old. Caretakers may misrepresent or claim to have no knowledge of the cause of the brain injury. Physicians must be extremely vigilant when dealing with any brain trauma in infants and be familiar with radiological and clinical findings that support the diagnosis of Shaken Baby Syndrome.”
The National Association of Medical Examiners has also released a position statement:
“The type of shaking that is thought to result in significant brain injury involves holding the child by the thorax or an extremity and violently shaking the child back and forth causing the head to forcefully whiplash forward and backward with repeated accelerations and decelerations in each direction.”
Dr. Randell Alexander, MD, Director of the Center for Child Abuse at Morehouse School of Medicine has stated, “There are very few syndromes with such a firm basis of support as the Shaken Baby Syndrome.
In 1993, Prevent Child Abuse Illinois [ www.preventchildabuseillinois.org ] established the “Never Shake a Baby” campaign. Since implementation of this program, thousands of Illinois residents have received the message in billboards, posters, flyers, newspapers , radio ads and health fairs. A Spanish language “Never Shake a Baby” brochure was added to the campaign in 1999.
Prevent Child Abuse Illinois is currently offering statewide training sessions as a public awareness SBS prevention campaign. “The goal of the campaign is to tell every parent, grandparent, babysitter, and other child caregivers that shaking a baby CAN BE DEADLY! Our material provides practical information about Shaken Baby Syndrome, why babies cry, and the safe and caring ways to help calm a crying baby,” explains Mary Salisbury, Prevent Child Abuse Illinois director of programs.
The national organization of Prevent Child Abuse America - www.preventchildabuse.org - [Click on"Networks"] offers links to a network of 38 state chapters in 37 states plus the District of Columbia. They are united in their shared dedication to the prevention of child abuse in all of its forms. Their chapters are unique in the public services they offer in order to meet local community needs. Prevention workshops and support groups are offered for parents dealing with a child injured by the Shaken Baby Syndrome.
Contact your state chapter for further information and take part in the "Never Shake a Baby" national program of education and prevention. Remember, a child is helpless—you are not.