Shaken Baby Syndrome Essay

     Fifty Thousand cases occur each year in the U.S. (Ramirez, 1996). One shaken baby in four dies as a result of this abuse (Poissaint & Linn, 1997) Approximately 20 percent of cases are fatal in the first few days after injury and majority of the survivors are left with handicaps ranging from mild to

Injuries occurring during birth are denoted to as birth trauma or obstetrical injuries and they are associated with different etiological causes. The important causes of birth trauma are macrosomia, breech presentation, shoulder dystocia, and forceps-assisted deliveries [3]. Traumatizing maneuvers during the deliveries will result in these fractures in the assisted deliveries [4]. The trauma may occur due to use of forces, excessive traction or pulling, unintended pressure on soft organs such as eyes. Trauma to the limb usually occurs when the limb is pulled in cases of obstructed labor or shoulder dystocia (Head out, shoulder stuck). An Indian study on birth trauma revealed that the fractured clavicle was commonest bone fractured

Before my first child was born, I studied child development. I learned the importance of responsive caregiving. I learned that I would soon be able to read my baby’s cries. I would know what was wrong and what I could do by the sound of the cry. After my baby was born, I responded quickly when he cried. To my surprise, I had difficulty calming him. I realized I did not always know what was wrong by the sound of his cry. I became very frustrated and decided that if my baby was dry, fed, and not tired. I would just let him cry it out. I didn’t know what else to do.

Child abuse in America is an ongoing problem and something needs to be done. There are approximately one million children abused annually in the United States. (Table 339) Cases of child abuse and neglect are reported every ten seconds, and researchers believe that there’s three times that amount that goes unnoticed. (Child Abuse: Know the Signs and Stop the Violence Against Children.) Something needs to be done for these children who are too weak and too powerless to help themselves.

“The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act” states’ that “child abuse is the leading cause of death in children under the age of eighteen.” Child abuse occurs when adults inflict violence and cruelty upon children. Abuse is any willful act that results in physical, mental, or sexual injury that causes or is likely to cause the child to be physically, mental, or emotionally impaired. Abuse happens to children of any age, sex, race, religion, and social status.

Pediatric abusive head trauma, also known as shaken baby syndrome, is a devastating form of abuse. It occurs when a young child is violently shaken. The repeated shaking back and forth motion causes the child’s brain to bounce within the skull, resulting in bruising and swelling. This intentionally inflicted injury causes trauma to the head and neck region, including cranial, cerebral, and spinal injuries. It occurs in infants and small children because the muscles of the neck region aren’t strong enough to go against the shaking force that occurs. Some make a complete recovery; others are left with debilitating handicaps, and in some cases death occurs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012), states that among all the forms

* ‘Where a child sustains a potentially life threatening injury or serious and permanent impairment of health and development through abuse and neglect’

Research is continually being conducted everyday with this common disorder. Many parents main concerns is the use of medication to treat their child. Many doctors nowadays show the parents the current research of studies being done and their effectiveness as well as providing papers for families for their willingness to participate in ongoing studies to better help understand their childs disorder and the best way to treat it ( Görtz-dorten, Breuer, Hautmann, Rothenberger, Döpfner, 2011).

deal with it in a way that works for them. To refer to the “Myths of

Many questions about the causes of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as “crib death,” are still unresolved. The mysterious and elusive nature of SIDS creates problems, doubts, and more questions. This paper will present some of the most commonly asked questions as well as the answers that have been uncovered by scientists after years of research and study.

Shaken Baby Syndrome also known as Abusive Head Trauma can be caused by direct blows to the head or by throwing or dropping a child under five years of age. Shaken Baby Syndrome is the leading cause of death in child abuse cases. When a person shakes a baby their head rotated uncontrollably. This is because children and infants neck muscles are not well developed. A majority of the time these injuries are caused by a caretaker or a parent. There is information from perpetrators who discuss what happened. This is a very serious problem as it is the leading cause of death in child abuse cases.

Child abuse can take the form of physical cruelty, neglect, or emotional or sexual abuse (1). Abuse- related craniocerebral trauma or non-accidental head in- jury (NAHI) accounts for only a small proportion of all child abuse, but is conspicuously over-represented in the first year of life (2). NAHI is the most frequent non- natural cause of death in infancy (3), and the most com- mon cause of death overall between the ages of 6 and 12 months (4). The clinical spectrum ranges from trivial bruising to severe trauma with fatal outcome. The shak- en baby syndrome (SBS) is a common form of NAHI in which the victim is held by the torso or the extremities and violently shaken, causing abrupt uncontrolled head movements with a marked rotatory component.

counseling or other help that is available for parents who may have lost a child

Moreover, infants are preverbal, which makes assessment and intervention especially challenging. Nonetheless, healthcare professionals must look out for warning signs. Some red flags may be raised as early as the baby’s birth. For example, poor mother-infant bonding from birth has been identified as a high risk for possible abuse later on and “may be caused by the delivery of a preterm infant, multiple infants, or one with a disability who has a prolonged stay in the hospital” (Lyden, 2011, p. 2).

Traumatic Brain Injury is otherwise known as TBI. “Traumatic brain injury, a form of acquired brain injury, occurs when sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. TBI can result when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and enters brain tissue” (NINDS, 2010). There are two main types of TBI, closed head injuries such as head hitting a windshield and penetrating head injuries such as a gunshot wound. As reported by the Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation,” The severity of traumatic brain injuries is often assessed using the Glasgow Coma Scale, with scores ranging from 3 to 15. The higher the score,