Canandaigua Medical Group Never Shake A Child Sue Herendeen, RN August 2002 Shaken Baby Syndrome is a term used to describe the injuries young children and infants receive from being vigorously shaken. An estimated 50,000 children are affected by SBS each year - just in the United States. One in four children die as a result of this form of abuse. The victims of SBS range in ages from a few days to five years old. The average age is 6 to 8 months. Abuse is not limited to any specific group of people, however, males tend to be the primary group of perpetrators. In the United States, males in their early twenties, whether they are the child’s fathers or the mother’s boyfriend, are typically the shakers. Female abusers are more likely to be a baby-sitter or childcare provider, other than the mother. The events leading up to shaking a baby are reportedly from the frustration from a crying baby, toileting problems, or jealousy of the attention that a child receives from the shaker’s partner. SBS happens when a child is held by his arms, legs, chest or shoulders and shaken forcefully. The violent shaking can cause bleeding around the brain and eyes, resulting in brain damage, learning disabilities, speech problems, mental retardation, paralysis, seizures, blindness, hearing loss and death. A baby’s head is large and heavy and their neck muscles are weak, this makes them vulnerable to injury when put into the motion of shaking and jerking. A ...
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