Copyright © 2014 by James Peinkofer, LCSW
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever, including electronic, mechanical or any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher.
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New Horizon Press
P. O. Box 669
Far Hills, NJ 07931
James Peinkofer, LCSW
Losing Patience:
The Problems, Alarms and Psychological Issues of Shaken Baby Syndrome
Cover design: Wendy Bass
Interior design: Scribe Inc.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014930466
ISBN-13 (eBook): 978-0-88282-479-6
New Horizon Press
2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 1 2 3 4 5
Dedicated to Norman Guthkelch, MD
In Memory of Alda and Richard Peinkofer
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Though the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that the term “Abusive Head Trauma” be used to incorporate a wide range of abuse to an infant’s head (shaking, impact, etc.), I use the lay term “Shaken Baby Syndrome” for this presentation as it is a concept that is most widely-known, as well as the focus of the mechanism for injury that I present. There has been a significant amount of media attention given to Shaken Baby Syndrome in the past several years and alarmists are sounding the proverbial gong that shaking a baby has no ill effect on a young brain or body, much less being a reason for death. As you will see throughout this book, Shaken Baby Syndrome is real, damaging and potentially lethal.
This book is based on the author’s research, personal experiences, interviews and real life experiences. For purposes of simplifying usage, the pronouns his/her and s/he are sometimes used interchangeably. The information contained herein is not meant to be a substitute for evaluation and therapy with mental health professionals.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1: What Is Shaken Baby Syndrome?
Chapter 3: Effects on Young Brains
Chapter 5: Serious Consequences
Chapter 6: Consultation and Follow Up
Part 2: SBS In Depth
Chapter 7: Victimology
Chapter 8: Perpetrators
Chapter 9: Controversies
Chapter 10: Understanding Family Needs
Part 3: SBS Best Practices
Chapter 11: Investigation and Prosecution
Chapter 12: Prevention Efforts
Chapter 13: Soothing Crying Babies
Conclusion
Notes
I will always remember where I was and how I felt when I read my first medical journal article on Shaken Baby Syndrome. I was in the cafeteria of the hospital where I was a pediatric social worker. Our hospital got a few child abuse cases each month, but the hospital on the other side of town seemed to be the primary center for child welfare cases. I had not experienced having a shaken baby within our hospital walls—yet. I had only been in pediatrics for several months. I had pushed for this position, since I had an infant son myself. I wanted to jump into the world of caring for babies—the good and the bad—feet first.
The article “Shaken Baby Syndrome” by Richard Spaide and his team was, for me, a shocking clinical exposé on the dark world into which I was about to launch myself. It was the morning of a bright summer day when I sat in the hospital’s cafeteria alone to read the article. Spaide’s paper initially discussed the history of the syndrome and then delved into the physiology of the infant brain: its soft, gelatin-like consistency, its nerves and veins loosely attached. The author then described how he believed an actual shaking event occurred.1 What Spaide detailed sickened me.
I remember pausing to put the pages down on the table in front of me, in order to reflect and to distance myself from the violence. I couldn’t believe that such brutality was possible, that it was truly possible for men and women to do such a horrible thing to a tiny human being who was so vulnerable. After I finished reading this article, I read hundreds more in the years ahead. I also experienced real-life events brought on by shaking abuse. I came to see the dark side of caregiving. Over the years, I built emotional armor to wear. The armor was my professional protection for myself, my shield as I looked people in the eye who could be lying to me about shaking their baby.
“A father was arrested and charged Wednesday with reckless homicide in the July shaking death of
