In March, Jennifer West, director of KPC Kids’ Place, gave members of the Exchange Club of Falcon a demonstration about Shaken Baby Syndrome. KPC is a program of Pikes Peak Family Connections. Shaken Baby Syndrome – shaking a baby in anger or frustration – is a form of child abuse that leads to permanent, irreparable brain damage or death. West used a Shaken Baby Syndrome simulator doll for the demonstration.The doll, called Mikey, is designed with a transparent head that shows the brain injury caused by this form of child abuse. When the simulator is shaken, affected sections of the brain light up to illustrate where brain damage has occurred.West said every year an estimated 3,000 children are diagnosed with Shaken Baby Syndrome, a traumatic brain injury. Twenty-five percent of these children will die, while 60 percent sustain permanent lifelong disabilities. Survivors often develop cerebral palsy, paralysis, epilepsy, blindness, deafness and learning/behavioral disorders. PPFC is working to educate people about injuries caused by shaking a baby, as well as providing ways to manage frustration and stress. West said the simulator doll has been an invaluable tool to inform parents, teens, community members and professionals about this tragic form a child abuse.For more information about Shaken Baby Syndrome and KPC Kids’ Place, visit their Web site at www.pikespeakfamilyconnections.org.For more information on the Falcon Exchange Club, contact Bob Miller at 636-3948 or Joe Bauer at 262-9222, and visit the Club Web site www.falconexchangeclub.us.
