Syndrome. One such incident involves 8-month-old 
Cynthia Gibbs, of Yonkers, New York, who on No-
vember 17, 2000, died of massive brain damage. 
Cynthia’s abuser and killer was her own State-cer-
tified child care provider operating child care serv-
ices out of her home. Another involves 11-month-old 
George ‘‘Skipper’’ Lithco of Poughkeepsie, New 
York, who died on December 3, 2000, from brain in-
juries he suffered when he was shaken by his day 
care provider—a 51-year-old grandmother who said 
she lost control when he spit up on her and cried 
during his afternoon feeding. 
(2) The most recent National Child Abuse and 
Neglect Data System figures reveal that almost 
900,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect 
in the United States in 2002, causing unspeakable 
pain and suffering to our most vulnerable citizens. 
(3) Among the children who are victims of 
abuse and neglect, nearly 4 children die in the 
United States each day. 
(4) Children aged 1 year or younger accounted 
for 41.2 percent of all child abuse and neglect fatali-
ties in 2002, and children aged 4 years or younger 
accounted for 76.1 percent of all child abuse and ne-
glect fatalities in 2002. 
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(5) Abusive head trauma, including the trauma 
known as ‘‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’’, is recognized 
as the leading cause of death of physically abused 
children. 
(6) Shaken Baby Syndrome can result in loss of 
vision, brain damage, paralysis, seizures, or death. 
(7) A 2003 report in the Journal of the Amer-
ican Medical Association estimated that, in the 
United States, an average of 300 children will die 
each year, and 600 to 1,200 more will be injured, 
of whom 2/3 will be babies or infants under 1 year 
in age, as a result of Shaken Baby Syndrome, with 
many cases resulting in severe and permanent dis-
abilities. 
(8) Medical professionals believe that thousands 
of additional cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome are 
being misdiagnosed or are not detected. 
(9) Shaken Baby Syndrome often results in 
permanent, irreparable brain damage or death to an 
infant and may result in more than $1,000,000 in 
medical costs to care for a single, disabled child in 
just the first few years of life. 
(10) The most effective solution for ending 
Shaken Baby Syndrome is to prevent the abuse, and 
it is clear that the minimal costs of education and 
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prevention programs may prevent enormous medical 
and disability costs and immeasurable amounts of 
grief for many families. 
(11) Prevention programs have demonstrated 
that educating new parents about the danger of 
shaking young children and how they can help pro-
tect their child from injury can bring about a signifi-
cant reduction in the number of cases of Shaken 
Baby Syndrome. This is further evidenced in work 
completed by the Upstate New York SBS Prevention 
Project, which resulted in a 47 percent reduction in 
the number of shaking and subsequent inflicted head 
injuries in the Buffalo, New York, region. 
(12) Education programs have been shown to 
raise awareness and provide critically important in-
formation about Shaken Baby Syndrome to parents, 
care givers, daycare workers, child protection em-
ployees, law enforcement personnel, health care pro-
fessionals, and legal representatives. 
(13) Efforts to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome 
are supported by organizations across the United 
States whose mission it is to make aware, educate, 
and support the general public and professionals 
about Shaken Baby Syndrome, as well as increase 
support for victims and the families of victims. 
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