THERE ARE BETWEEN 600 AND
50,000 CASES OF SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME IN THE UNITED STATES EACH YEAR. *
*http://www.capcenter.org/questions.html Homepage
for the National Information Support
and Referral Service on Shaken Baby Syndrome
Why
is this numbered-estimate so broad?
It
is so broad because the diagnosis is difficult to determine.
In
addition, many cases are not reported.
*http://www.capcenter.org/questions.html# How many children are injured or die from
Shaken Baby Syndrome??????
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This site
provides a Disability Resources monthly guide to the best resources about shaken baby syndrome. |
When
a doctor is confronted with an infant who is hurt, has ocular/retinal problems,
is brain damaged, irritable, comatose or in a stupor, and vomiting, with
accompanying other possible injuries to
the body other than the head, (e.g. the
long bones or ribs), and/or the child has died, and there are no visible signs
of abuse (or there are visible signs of abuse:
burns, bruises), upon physically viewing the child (without probing
inside the baby), signals and lights flash in the physician's mind. What could have caused these injuries? Was the child born with conditions that
would lead to the occurrence of these traumas?
Could they have occurred accidentally?
(Evidence exists in determining the 'amount' of shaking that will result in hurting the child: http://www.capcenter.org/questions.html# How many times do you have to shake an
infant or young child to cause damage?)
Parents
are assured that playing 'horsy' or generally playing with their children cannot
cause SHAKEN BABY SYNDRONE http://www.capcenter.org/questions.html# Can tossing or rough play cause SBS?
Society
can be assured that this horrid syndrome can be prevented.
http://www.capcenter.org/questions.html#
How can SBS be prevented????
Shaking
a baby is an act by a desperate caregiver.
Individuals who shake babies need to be stopped. Raising and caring for infants is a big challenge. Many caregivers need help when caring for
newborns. They should be provided with
the help they need. More information on
SBS needs to be made public. Public
service announcements, on television, radio, and in newspapers, would go a long
way toward making society aware of this awful problem. The media could tell young parents,
babysitters, and everyone in general where to get help regarding SBS, where to
get information on it, and alert them to the signs that SBS might be occurring
among people they know. Taking these
steps might help to prevent this tragic abuse to future citizens of the
country. A recent court case regarding
SBS in Phoenix, Arizona, found Elizabeth Whittle, mother of quadruplet babies,
guilty of abusing her 4-month-old children.
Society failed Elizabeth Whittle, a mother, (determined to be bi-polar
with a low intelligence quotient), who took her 4 new babies home to a one
bed-room apartment occupied by her Down's syndrome 6 year old daughter, the
father of the quadruplets, and the brother of the father. One new born crying baby is a challenge to a
caregiver, whether the parent/guardian is rich, poor, educated, undereducated,
or has a network support of caring individuals. (The 2 year old sextuplets
born in Missouri in 1997 had the
support of their church, where around the clock members came to the aid of this family.) Although Elizabeth Whittle was a female,
more males than females shake babies.
Many people need help in parenting .
Here are some hypothetical conditions where individuals could possibly
need aid as they rear the children of this county: a. when there is low
family income;
b.
when
housing conditions are poor;
c.
when
the people involved are very young;
d.
when
the individuals involved have emotional problems;
e.
when
individuals responsible for newborns have no experience in the field of
parenting/caring for children regardless of their socio-economic background;
f.
when
caregivers have no one (friends.. relatives.. social workers) to help them, or have no chance to get a
break from child rearing;
g.
when an individual is responsible for more
than one baby.
You
may look at the following sites which help verify the existence and occurrence
of SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME. Each of these
sites have been determined to be working sites as of December 8, 1999.
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Good
resource for latest information.
Because Shaken Baby Syndrome is still a relatively new diagnosis, it is
difficult to know how many children are injured or killed each year. The site immediately following this one
coordinates with this one.
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This
is a credible site and was included in the project because it uniquely
contains information about where to go to chat with others about Shaken Baby
Syndrome (SBS). This site includes a mailing list, web
board and a SBS bulletin board. |
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This site discusses Shaken Baby
Syndrome and the death of
Matthew Eappen from SBS. Authority
and credibility is given to the site which lists verifiable addresses of 50
medical doctors. http://silcon.com/~ptave/shaken.htm |
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Damage to the eyes is so common in SBS. This site is important because
ophthalmologists speak out against SBS, and request eye examinations for
babies thought to be victims of SBS.
Discusses SBS. |
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According
to Newsweek, an acceptable and credible source, 37% of caregivers are not
aware that shaking babies is
dangerous. ('Incredulous', project author.)
Babysitters comprise 90% of the people who are unaware of this. http://members.tripod.com/gago_31/index.html |
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Shaken
Baby Syndrome:
Inflicted Cerebral Trauma |
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This
is a policy statement concerning Shaken
Baby Syndrome from the AMERICAN
ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect. It is found in Pediatrics Volume 92,
Number 6 December, 1993, p 872-875: |
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This
site contains links to Shaken
Baby Syndrome-related sites,
including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Information and
Referral Service. |
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This
site has verifiable information (addresses and telephone numbers) and appears credible. It contains information and materials
designed to prevent Shaken
Baby Syndrome and to increase
positive parenting and childcare.
Items are available for purchase such as an "Always Love Me'
shirt. |
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This
site contains the script from TV Health Report, Broadcast April, 1997
Featuring: Janet Williams, MD WVU Emergency Physician. A disclaimer is attached. |
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This
site offers a video (19.95 + s/h) for those caring for newborns; the video shows how to establish a regular
sleep routine with the baby, and, consequently, aid in preventing SBS. |
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This
important site is a factual one about SBS.
According to the site, shaking a baby or child can cause severe consequences such as blindness,
brain damage or death. The number one
reason a baby is shaken is because of crying. |
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This
site is included in this web page to give a different perspective to SBS and
to insure an unbiased project. The
site provides support for those who claim they have been wrongfully accused
of shaken baby syndrome;
included are medical texts and case histories. |
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This
is a 'good awareness site' linking to incidences of SBS. |
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This
information is from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and
Stroke (NINDS). The site describes Shaken baby syndrome
as a severe form of head injury that occurs when a baby is shaken
forcibly enough to cause the baby’s
brain to rebound (bounce) against his or her skull. The site is verifiable.
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This site has credibility, associated with
Harvard, and is proactive. It has
been updated this week, and seems sincere in alerting the public to the real
dangers of Shaken Baby Syndrome http://www.tch.harvard.edu/public-affairs/sbs/index.html |
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This
site appears to be sound with links to the Fairview community hospitals that can be verified and linked. The site is concerned with the
devastating consequences of shaking a baby. |
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This site is a fact sheet by the American
Humane Association. It describes SBS
and provides information on the syndrome. http://www.americanhumane.org/cpfactshake.html |
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This
site provides for the purchasing of a video of an actual trial as a result of
a shaken baby incident |
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This
site was created by the government of New Hampshire; specifically The New
Hampshire Task Force To Prevent Child Abuse authored it. It has received
under 1600 visitors. It is not specific
to SBS, but since SBS is a very important part of child abuse, it has been
included in this project. It promotes
positive parenting by giving adults and children in New Hampshire support,
education, and training. The work
performed by the task force is referred to in 2 other sites in this
project. |
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This site is included in my project as an
example that shows that not all sites are free. A fee based site shows you how to fill in your name and
address, and how to submit your check, money order or credit card. This non-profit organization and fund
promotes longer prison terms for child abusers and is dedicated to the
prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome or other types of child abuse. It is well worth investigating. |
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This
site, containing a link to our government's
Department of Health and Human Services, includes a fact sheet for professionals describing Shaken Baby Syndrome. |
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This informative and updated site discusses the
problems of investigating shaken baby syndrome. It includes a press release dated June 1, 1999
about Never Shake a Baby, a new study on SBS. Contact: Gillian Ray 703/684-1355, easily
verifiable. |
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This
recent and updated site discusses how the government is playing a role in
SBS; in addition, stories are told of victims of Shaken Baby
Syndrome. |
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To
raise awareness of Shaken
Baby Syndrome, the Brain Injury
Association (BIAN) joins with an agent from USC, a supplier of children's Registered
Educational Savings Plans to make 1,500 baby bibs each year with the caption,
'Handle me with care, Please don't shake me." |
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This recent site contains information about
baby sitters and Shaken Baby Syndrome. http://child.cornell.edu/child.cornell.edu/army/sbs/sitterslides |
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This
recently updated site contains links to websites that include treatment,
prevention, support groups, personal stories, risk factors, and statistics
about SBS. It has sponsors and asks
that you support the businesses that provide the site. |
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This
site contains an article entitled, When Parents Lose Their Cool: The Shaken Baby Syndrome
by Dr. Moshe Ipp According to the article, physical abuse is the leading
cause of serious head injury in infants.
This site has good authority. |
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This
is a newspaper article about an 8-week-old shaken to death by his father. |
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This
is a site with links to the many aspects of SBS as a form of child abuse. |
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On
April 17, 1999 at the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians Spring Convention
in Chicago, Illinois, Marilyn Sandberg, Executive Director of the Child Abuse
discussed Shaken Baby Syndrome with colleagues; included are preventative measures. ... |
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This
site contains a fact sheet on SBS.
According to the site, one shaken
baby in four dies because
of this abuse. Shaken Baby Syndrome
is caused by vigorous shaking of an infant or young child by the arms, legs,
chest or shoulders. ... |
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This
site contains topics related, and links to Acute Illness and Shaken Baby Syndrome. It is from the Vanderbilt University
school of medicine in Nashville, Tennessee.
http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/peds/pidl/acute/shaken.htm |
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This
site is sponsored by the Child Abuse Prevention Center of Utah National
Information, Support and Referral Service on Shaken Baby
Syndrome The site started
operation in 1997 as a need for
accurate information on SBS.
Suggested parenting books are given. |
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This
site contains an article by the American College of Emergency Physicians
(ACEP) titled "Shaking a Child can be Fatal." |
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According
to this article by Texas Children's Hospital. SBS is a growing problem
whereby infants are shaken to the point of death, just for crying, because an
adult momentarily loses control of
her emotions. This site gives
help in how to calm a baby when it continually cries. |
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This
web site was developed by the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Montgomery
County, Indiana. Shaken baby syndrome
is often referred to as "shaken
infant syndrome." |
ABOUT THIS SITE:
I,
Judy Goad, am a student in the fall
semester class, VERIFIABLE INFORMATION
out of the graduate college of Library Science at the University of Arizona. I can be reached at jgoad@asu.edu.
Today is December 8, 1999.