Shaken baby syndrome is the name given to describe the head trauma that results from abuse. When a child is violently shaken, brain damage often results. The underdeveloped muscles of the child’s neck can’t support and stabilize their heads, which in turn allows the head to shake in such a manner that the brain is knocked against the sides of the skull. The resulting damage from this includes blood clots, swollen tissue and torn tissue.
For those babies who have survived, there are often serious repercussions with symptoms such as seizures, paralysis, mental retardation and cognitive dysfunction.
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