Shaking Small Children
The tragic Matthew Eapen case in Massachussets has made us all more aware
of the dangers of hitting or shaking small children. Members may be
interested in the following excerpts (please feel free to share these with
any parents of young children you happen to know):
Extract from UK Sunday Times report, 28 Jan 1996
<< The UK Sunday Times ran a report on the origins of violence on Sunday
28 Jan (1996), giving both the genetic and behavioural viewpoints. One of
their prime sources said violent behaviour in children can be caused by
brain damage caused by excessive shaking while young, by parents who think
they are just disciplining the child. >>
Extract from UPI Report, Nov 16, 1996 (full report available on request):
<< For example, workers are now concentrating their attention on
children who are younger than 5 when ICAN reports showed about 90 percent
of children's deaths occurred in this age group, Digre said.
ICAN statistics also showed that more efforts should be made to
educate men about child deaths, since they are convicted more often than
women in those deaths and are often unaware of the deadly effects of
shaking, hitting or throwing a young child. >>
Recent e-mail from Jordan Riak, with some poetic licence about bricks
<< It would seem even the recent well-publicized shaking death of infant
Matthew Eappen and the trial of the nice young girl who shook him hasn't
penetrated some people's awareness. Were there a choice between shaking a
baby or
throwing a brick at a baby, the thrown brick would be less risky.
... Parents who use baby shaking as a means of settling children need to
quit baby-shaking before
they cause permanent damage to their children's optic nerves or brain. >>
To any of us who have brought up small children, we know what a challenge
it can be at times. Information on positive, non-violent means of dealing
with difficult behaviour in small children can be obtained from:
EPOCH, 77 Holloway Road, London N7 8JZ Tel: (44)0171-700-0627
e-mail: Epoch-worldwide@mcr1.poptel.org.uk
Positive Parenting: web site: www.PositiveParenting.com
e-mail: dcritzer@positiveparenting.com
(This organisation offers both training courses and online advice)
Jordan Riak, Exec. Dir.
Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Education (PTAVE)
P.O. Box 1033, Alamo, CA 94507-7033
Tel: (510) 831-1661; Fax: (510) 838-8914
Web site: "Project NoSpank" at http://silcon.com/~ptave
e-mail: ptave@silcon.com