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Shaken Baby Syndrome
What is SBS?
Definition
Shaken Baby Syndrome is a preventable, severe form of child abuse resulting from violently shaking an infant by the shoulders, arms, or legs. SBS can also result from shaking alone or shaking with impact
Characteristics of SBS
- Extreme fussiness or irritability
- Difficulty staying awake
- Breathing problems
- Poor eating
- Vomiting
- Pale or bluish skin
- Seizures
Characteristics
Risk Factors
- Partial or total blindness
- Developmental delays, learning problems or behavior issues
- Intellectual disability
- Seizure disorders
- Cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects movement and muscle coordination
Internal vs External
Internal vs External
Internal injuries:
- Bleeding in the brain
- Bleeding in the eyes
External injuries:
- No noticable external injuries
(more serious cases there may be some external injuries)
- Unresponsiveness
- Loss of Consiousness
- Trouble Breathing
Impact in school
Education Impact
Some impacts SBS can have on children is Blindness, or developmental delays (any significant lag in a child’s physical, cognitive, behavioral, emotional, or social development) and learning disabilities, Severe motor dysfunction (muscle weakness or paralysis). These impacts can have a long lasting affect on students whether its mental or physical, the way they learn can become very different for them compared to many other students they are surrounded by.
Extra Facts
- SBS resulting in head injury is a leading cause of child abuse death in the United States.
- Nearly all victims of SBS suffer serious health consequences and at least one of every four babies who are violently shaken dies from this form of child maltreatment
- Babies, newborn to one year (especially babies ages 2 to 4 months), are at greatest risk of injury from shaking. Shaking them violently can trigger a “whiplash”
Extra
Information
VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufLr2ZECu44
Video
SPREAD THE WORLD
Resources
- https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/SBSMediaGuide.pdf
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shaken-baby-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20366619
- https://free-resources.anatomystuff.co.uk/shaken-baby-syndrome-free-downloads/
- https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/shaken-baby-syndrome#:~:text=Shaken%20baby%20syndrome%20is%20a,brain%20damage%20or%20even%20death.
- https://www.aans.org/en/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Shaken-Baby-Syndrome