What is Shaken Baby Syndrome?
Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), also called Abusive head trauma is a severe brain injury that results from forcefully shaking a baby. This is usually caused as a result of child abuse. It can happen to toddlers up to 5 years of age. However, it tends to occur more in babies who are just 1-2 months old and who cry the most.
What is the reason?
This result from injuries caused by most often a parent or a caregiver who vigorously shake a child or strike the child’s head against a surface. This usually happens due to the frustration or anger on the part of the parent/caregiver for not being able to stop the baby from crying. As a result the shaking may cause the baby to cry more and eventually to stop crying as the brain gets damaged.
Why Infants?
The neck muscle are not developed in infants and provides little support for their heads. The aggressive movements shake the brain back and forth inside the skull which breaks the blood vessels and nerves throughout the brain as a result causing SBS.
What are the effects?
It is an irreversible damage and sometimes results in the child’s death. Children who survive may show the following:
How to prevent?
Shaken Baby Syndrome is completely preventable. Finding ways to alleviate the parent or caregiver's stress at the critical moments when a baby is crying can significantly reduce the risk to a child. All Babies Cry is a national program that promotes healthy parenting behavior through practical demonstrations of infant soothing and ways to manage the stress of parenting.
To find out more about SBS, click the following links:
http://dontshake.org/
http://repository.law.umich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1067&context=mjlr
http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/pdf/sbs_media_guide_508_optimized-a.pdf
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/tc/shaken-baby-syndrome-topic-overview
http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/brain/shaken.html#
Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), also called Abusive head trauma is a severe brain injury that results from forcefully shaking a baby. This is usually caused as a result of child abuse. It can happen to toddlers up to 5 years of age. However, it tends to occur more in babies who are just 1-2 months old and who cry the most.
What is the reason?
This result from injuries caused by most often a parent or a caregiver who vigorously shake a child or strike the child’s head against a surface. This usually happens due to the frustration or anger on the part of the parent/caregiver for not being able to stop the baby from crying. As a result the shaking may cause the baby to cry more and eventually to stop crying as the brain gets damaged.
Why Infants?
The neck muscle are not developed in infants and provides little support for their heads. The aggressive movements shake the brain back and forth inside the skull which breaks the blood vessels and nerves throughout the brain as a result causing SBS.
What are the effects?
It is an irreversible damage and sometimes results in the child’s death. Children who survive may show the following:
- Visual impairment
- Hearing loss
- Epilepsy
- Developmental delays
- Speech and learning difficulties
- Attention deficit disorders
- Intellectual disabilities
- Cerebral Palsy
How to prevent?
Shaken Baby Syndrome is completely preventable. Finding ways to alleviate the parent or caregiver's stress at the critical moments when a baby is crying can significantly reduce the risk to a child. All Babies Cry is a national program that promotes healthy parenting behavior through practical demonstrations of infant soothing and ways to manage the stress of parenting.
To find out more about SBS, click the following links:
http://dontshake.org/
http://repository.law.umich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1067&context=mjlr
http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/pdf/sbs_media_guide_508_optimized-a.pdf
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/tc/shaken-baby-syndrome-topic-overview
http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/brain/shaken.html#