Yet the public is largely unaware of the danger. Surveys show that up to half of all Americans don't realize the devastating consequences of shaking a baby. Some physicians are unfamiliar with SBS, so it's frequently misdiagnosed. The perpetrators are seldom prosecuted, and those who are often get off scot-free. Her brain is softer too, and the protective tissue that surrounds it is only beginning to form at birth.
Blood floods the brain and the massive swelling cuts off the oxygen flow.
The results are horrific. Of the survivors, only 15 percent escape without permanent damage. Carol Caulford of Clearfield, Utah, has lived with the effects of SBS every day for seven years since she adopted Michael, who was shaken by his biological father. He cannot walk, talk or see. The agony this child has endured is incalculable.