Can something other than shaking, such as rough-housing or a minor fall, cause my child to suffer from Shaken Baby Syndrome?

A child diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome most likely sustained his or her injuries due to shaking and not roughhousing or a minor fall. You should meet with a Georgia child injury attorney if your baby has been hurt.

The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome suggests the probability of a fatal injury showing characteristics of shaken baby syndrome related to a fall is 1 in a million for infants or toddlers aged 0-5. In actuality, the center believes it probably is even less.

The center defines shaken baby syndrome as violent shaking of a baby or small child. Identified as a form of child abuse, this type of violence can cause brain damage, broken bones, blindness, paralysis, mental retardation, seizures or death.

Signs of Shaken Baby Syndrome

According to research from The University of Iowa Department of Pediatrics, shaken baby syndrome usually happens as a result of a rotational acceleration of the head rather than a linear one as might be seen in a fall. Symptoms may include:

• being less responsive than usual;
• not eating well;
• irritability;
• lethargy;
• less tension in the muscles;
• convulsions;
• vomiting;
• rapid respiration;
• slow heart rate;
• coma; and
• fixed, dilated pupils.

A child displaying symptoms of shaken baby syndrome rarely sustains these types of injuries because of a fall or roughhousing. If you believe your child was a victim of abuse and now faces the consequences, you should speak to your Georgia child injury attorney for help with filing a lawsuit.