Shaken Baby Syndrome CDC
Shaken Baby Syndrome CDC
U. S . D e p a r t m e n t o f H e a l t h a n d H u m a n S e
rv i c e s
C e n t e r s f o r D i s e a s e C o n t ro l a n d P r e v e n
tion
Table of Contents
A Journalists Five Ws
The What: Shaken Baby Syndrome
For more information-as well as radio PSAs and broadcast-quality video that
includes B-Roll, full-screen tips, and downloadable scenariosplease visit:
www.cdc.gov/TraumaticBrainInjury.
To access radio PSAs that offer tips for coping with a crying baby, please visit:
www.cdc.gov and click on Podcasts.
The What:
Shaken Baby
Syndrome
Shaken Baby
Syndrome (SBS) is a
preventable, severe
form of physical
child abuse resulting from
violently shaking an infant by
the shoulders, arms, or legs.
SBS may result from both
shaking alone
or from shaking with impact.
SBS is not just a crimeit
is a public health issue.
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.1
From
a
public health
perspective,
creating
greater awareness about
SBS is important. Helping
people
understand
the
dangers
of violently shaking a baby;
the risk factors associated
with SBS; the triggers for it;
and ways to prevent it may
help reduce the number of
babies affected by SBS.
Everyone, from caregivers
to bystanders, can do
something to help.
The bottom line is that
vigorously shaking a baby
can be fatal or result in a
permanent disability.
Shaking most
often occurs in response to
a baby crying, or other
factors that can lead the
person caring for a baby to
become frustrated or angry.
All babies cry and do things
that can frustrate caregivers;
however, not all
caregivers are prepared to
care for a baby.
there
are no obvious
external physical signs,
such as bruising or
bleeding, to indicate an
injury.
In more severe cases of
SBS, babies may exhibit the
following:3, 4
Unres
ponsiv
eness
Loss of
conscious
ness
Breathing problems
(irregular breathing or not
breathing)
N
o
p
u
l
s
e
Babies
suffering
lesser
damage from SBS
may exhibit some of
the following:5, 6
Change in sleeping pattern
or inability to be awakened
V
o
m
i
t
i
n
g
t
a
b
i
l
i
t
y
Uncontrol
lable
crying
Inability
to
be
consoled
Inability
to nurse or
eat
D
e
a
t
h
B
l
i
n
d
n
e
s
s
Convulsions
or seizures
I
r
r
i
Mental retardation or
developmental delays (any
significant lags in a childs
physical, cognitive,
behavioral, emotional, or
social development, in
comparison with norms)7
and learning disabilities
Ce
reb
ral
pal
sy
Severe motor
dysfunction (muscle
weakness or
paralysis)
Spasticity (a condition in
which certain muscles
are continuously
contracted this
contraction causes
stiffness or tightness of
the muscles and may
interfere with movement,
S
e
i
z
u
r
e
s
Carbaugh SF. Understanding shaken baby syndrome. Adv Neonatal Care 2004;4(2):10516.
Lee C, Barr RG, Catherine NM, Wicks A. Age-related incidence of publicly-reported shaken
baby syndrome cases: Is crying a trigger for shaking? J Dev Behav Pediatr 2007;28(4):288
93.
3
Miehl NJ. Shaken baby syndrome. J Forensic Nurs 2005;1(3):1117.
4
Carbaugh SF. Understanding shaken baby syndrome. Adv Neonatal Care 2004;4(2):10516.
5
Ibid.
6
Miehl NJ. Shaken baby syndrome. J Forensic Nurs 2005;1(3):1117.
7
Encyclopedia of Childrens Health. Developmental delay [online]. [cited 2008 Oct 16.] Available
from URL: http://www.healthofchildren. com/D/Developmental-Delay.html.
8
National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. NINDS
spasticity information page [online]. 2007. [cited 2008 Oct 16.] Available from URL:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/spasticity/spasticity.htm.
2
The Who:
Keenan HT, Runyan DK, Marshall SW, Nocera MA, Merten DF. A population-based comparison of clinical and outcome
characteristics of young children with serious inflicted and noninflicted traumatic brain injury. Pediatrics 2004;114(3):6339.
10
Dias MS, Smith K, deGuehery K, Mazur P, Li V, Shaffer ML. Preventing abusive head trauma among infants and young children: A
hospital-based, parent education program. Pediatrics 2005;115(4):e4707.
11
Miehl NJ. Shaken baby syndrome. J Forensic Nurs 2005;1(3):1117.
12
American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect. Shaken baby syndrome: Rotational cranial injuries
technical report. Pediatrics 2001;108(1):20610.
13
Hoffman JM. A case of shaken baby syndrome after discharge from the newborn intensive care unit. Adv Neonatal Care
2005;5(3):13546.
14
Ibid.
15
Miehl NJ. Shaken baby syndrome. J Forensic Nurs 2005;1(3):1117.
16
Carbaugh SF. Understanding shaken baby syndrome. Adv Neonatal Care 2004; 4(2):10516.
17
Keenan HT, Runyan DK, Marshall SW, Nocera MA, Merten DF. A population-based comparison of clinical and outcome
characteristics of young children with serious inflicted and noninflicted traumatic brain injury. Pediatrics 2004;114(3):6339.
18
Alexander R, Crabbe L, Sato Y, Smith W, Bennett T. Serial abuse in children who are shaken. Am J Dis Child 1990;144(1):5860.
19
Ewing-Cobbs L, Kramer L, Prasad M, Niles Canales D, Louis PT, Fletcher JM, et al. Neuroimaging, physical, and developmental
findings after inflicted and non-inflicted traumatic brain injury in young children. Pediatrics 1998;102(2):3007.
The Why:
Inconsolable Crying
If youve ever been around a
baby who wont stop crying,
you likely know that there is
potential to get frustrated.
The fact is that cryingincluding
prolonged bouts of inconsolable
crying
is normal developmental behavior
in babies. It helps to think of crying
as one of the ways babies
communicate. Research also
shows that most babies who cry a
20
St. James-Roberts, I. Effective services for managing infant crying disorders and their impact on the social
and emotional development of young Children. In: Tremblay RE, Barr RG, Peters RDeV, eds. Encyclopedia on
Early Childhood Development [online]. 2004:1-6. Available at: http://www.childencyclopedia.com/documents/StJames-RobertANGxp.pdf.
21
Lee C, Barr RG, Catherine NM, Wicks A. Age-related incidence of publicly-reported shaken baby
syndrome cases: Is crying a trigger for shaking? J Dev Behav Pediatr 2007;28(4):28893.
22
Hoffman JM. A case of shaken baby syndrome after discharge from the newborn intensive care unit. Adv Neonatal Care
2005;5(3):13546.
23
Black DA, Heyman RE, Smith Slep AM. Risk factors for child physical abuse. Aggress Violent Behav 2001;6(23):12188.
24
Keenan HT, Runyan DK, Marshall SW, Nocera MA, Merten DF, Sinal SH. A population-based study of
inflicted traumatic brain injury in young children. JAMA 2003;290(5):6216.
25
Hoffman JM. A case of shaken baby syndrome after discharge from the newborn intensive care unit. Adv Neonatal Care
2005;5(3):13546.
26
Black DA, Heyman RE, Smith Slep AM. Risk factors for child physical abuse. Aggress Violent Behav 2001;6(23):121-88
27
Keenan HT, Runyan DK, Marshall SW, Nocera MA, Merten DF, Sinal SH. A population-based study of
inflicted traumatic brain injury in young children. JAMA 2003;290(5):6216.
Having unrealistic
expectations about child
development and childrearing
Accurate Reporting
SBS is more than a story for the
Metro section editor or crime
reporterits a health story about a
tragedy that can be prevented by
greater community awareness.
Prevention is a community effort
that includes recognizing and
communicating the risk factors and
common characteristics of perpetrators
and victims, and also sharing ways to
lessen the load
on stressed out parents and caregivers.
Following are tips and recommendations
to consider as you craft your story.
Tips
27
Inconsolable and/or
frequent crying
Recommendations for
Your Readers/Viewers:
If you are the parent or caregiver of a baby:
Babies can cry a lot in the first few
months of life and this can be frustrating.
But it will get better.
The Where:
Other Sources:
Period of PURPLE Crying: Keeping
Babies Safe in North Carolina
Phone: 919-419-3474
Fax: 919-419-9353
www.purplecrying.info
U. S . D e p a r t m e n t o f H e a l t h a n d H u m a n S e rv i c e s
C e n t e r s f o r D i s e a s e C o n t ro l a n d P r e v e n t i o n