Indicators of Abuse
(children)
      ~Repeated injuries that are not properly treated or are       
inadequately explained;
      ~Unusual behavior ranging from disruptive and aggressive
to passive and withdrawn;
      ~Child acts as parent toward siblings or toward parents;
      ~Disturbed sleep (bed-wetting, nightmares, fear of            
sleeping alone, needing a night light);
      ~No appetite or overeating;
      ~Reports being hungry;
      ~Sudden drop in grades or participation;
      ~Child may report abuse;
      ~Unexplained bruises, especially in various stages of          
healing;
      ~Unexplained burns, especially cigarette or immersion
burns;
      ~Unexplained fractures, lacerations, or abrasions;
      ~Unexplained injuries regularly appearing after absence,     
weekend, vacation, etc.
      ~Human bite marks (less than 3 centimeters between        
canines);
      ~Swollen areas;
      ~Abandonment;
      ~Consistent lack of supervision;
      ~Consistent hunger, inappropriate dress, poor hygiene;
      ~Lice, distended stomach, emaciation;
      ~Inadequate nutrition;
      ~Torn, stained, or bloody underwear;
      ~Pain, swelling, or itching in genital area;
      ~Difficulty walking or standing;
      ~Bruises or bleeding in genital area;
      ~Sexually transmitted diseases;
      ~Frequent urinary tract or yeast infections;
      ~Speech disorders;
      ~Delayed physical development;
      ~Substance abuse;
      ~Ulcers, asthma, severe allergies;
      ~Self-destructive behaviors;
      ~Arrives at school early or stays late;
      ~Chronic runaway (adolescents);
      ~Complains of soreness or moves uncomfortably;
      ~Wary of adult contact;
      ~Listless, tired constantly, falls asleep in class;
      ~Steals food, begs for food from classmates, hoards food;
      ~Reports that no parent nor caretaker is home;
      ~Frequently absent or tardy;
      ~Extreme need for affection or loneliness;
      ~Excessive seductiveness;        
      ~Massive weight change;
      ~Suicide attempts;
      ~Inappropriate or premature sex play or understanding of   
sex;
      ~Habit disorder (sucking, rocking, biting);
      ~Antisocial, destructive;
      ~Neurotic traits (sleep disorders, inhibition of play);
      ~Delinquent behavior;
      ~Seems frightened of parents;
      ~Wears long sleeves to hide injuries;
      ~Afraid to go home, shows little separation anxiety;
      ~Seeks affection from any adult;
      ~Unsafe living conditions;
      ~Somatic problems (always feels yukky);
      ~Is pregnant;
      ~Poor self-esteem, peer relationships;
      ~Is overly adaptive, inappropriately infantile or adult;
      ~Exhibits emotional, physical, or mental delays;
      ~Poor social skills, low frustration tolerance, academic       
dysfunction;
      ~Fear of failure, overly high standards, reluctance to play;
      ~Fears consequences of actions, often leading to lying;
      ~Overly compliant, too well-mannered;
      ~Excessive and seemingly obsessive neatness and            
cleanliness;
      ~Self-mutilation;
      ~Injuries to the mouth, genital, or anal areas (bruising,        
swelling, sores, infection);
      ~Reverts to bed-wetting and soiling;
      ~Fire setting;
      ~Lacks trust in others, inability to "have fun;"
      ~Injuries that form a shape or pattern that may look like     
the object used to make the injury;
      ~Bald patches on the child's head;
      ~Repeated poisonings and accidents;
      ~Describes self as bad, needing punishment;
      ~May flinch if touched unexpectedly;
      ~Sad, cries frequently;
      ~Poor memory and concentration;
      ~Pain experiences in elimination;
      ~Seems anxious when other children cry;
      ~Whispering speech.
Indicators of
Abusive Parents:
      ~Seems unconcerned about the child;
      ~Takes an unusual amount of time to seek medical care for the
child;
      ~Offers inadequate or inappropriate explanations for child's
injuries;   
      ~Gives different explanations for the same injury;
      ~Misuses drugs or alcohol;
      ~Disciplines the child too harshly for the mistake or for the
child's age;
      ~Sees the child as evil or bad;
      ~Has a history of abuse;
      ~Attempts to conceal the child's injuries;
      ~Takes the child to a new doctor for each injury;
      ~Has an unorganized, upsetting home life;
      ~Is apathetic, feels that nothing will ever change;
      ~Is isolated from friends, family, relatives, neighbors;
      ~Has long-term, chronic illness;
      ~Cannot be found;
      ~Has a history of neglect;
      ~Role reversal with the child; blurred boundaries;
      ~Very protective, jealous, controlling;
      ~Encourages child to participate in prostitution, sexual acts in
the presence of the caregiver;
      ~History of sexual abuse;
      ~Low self-esteem, poor self-image;
      ~Incapacitated mother;
      ~Makes harsh and/or destructive responses to the child's
requests;
      ~Threatens or terrorizes the child;
      ~Believes that the child entices his/her own poor treatment;
      ~Treats children in the family unequally;
      ~Doesn't seem to care much for the child's problems;
      ~Blames or belittles the child;
      ~Is cold and rejecting;
      ~Withholds love;
      ~Has unrealistic expectations;
      ~May not have age appropriate expectations of the child;
      ~Jealous;
      ~Poor impulse control;
      ~Marital problems;
      ~Psychotic or psychopathic;
      ~Emotionally immature and impulsive.
Shaken Baby Syndrome
information here is from the National Center on Shaken Baby
Syndrome website.
Common symptoms of Shaken Baby syndrome:
      ~lethargy/ decreased muscle tone
      ~extreme irritability
      ~decreased appetite, poor feeding or vomiting for no apparent reason
      ~grab-type bruises on arms or chest are rare
      ~no smiling or vocalizations
      ~poor sucking or swallowing
      ~rigidity or posturing
      ~difficulty breathing
      ~seizures
      ~head or forehead appear larger than usual or fontanelle appears to be bulging
      ~inability to lift head
      ~inability of eyes to focus or track movement or unequal size of pupils

Physical consequences of shaking an infant or toddler:
      ~The brain rotates within the skull cavity, injuring or destroying brain tissue.
      ~When shaking occurs, blood vessels feeding the brain can be torn, leading to bleeding around the brain.
      ~Blood pools within the skull, sometimes creating more pressure within the skull and possibly causing additional brain damage.
      ~Retinal bleeding is very common.

Immediate Consequences:
      ~Breathing may stop or be compromised
      ~Extreme irritability
      ~Seizures
      ~Limp arms and legs or rigidity/posturing
      ~Decreased level of consciousness
      ~Vomiting; poor feeding
      ~Inability to suck or swallow
      ~Heart may stop
      ~Death

Long-Term Consequences:
      ~Learning disabilities
      ~Physical disabilities
      ~Visual disabilities or blindness
      ~Hearing impairment
      ~Speech and/or language disabilities
      ~Cerebral Palsy
      ~Seizures
      ~Behavior disorders
      ~Cognitive impairment; problems with memory and attention; severe intellectual disability
      ~Paralysis (some particularly traumatic episodes leave the child in a coma)
      ~Death
Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome ...

It is 100% preventable.

Finding ways to alleviate parental stress when the baby seems inconsolable can significantly reduce the risk. One method is Dr. Harvey
Karp's Five S's:

      **Shushing (Using white noise, or rhythmic sounds that mimic the whir of noise in the womb, with things like vacuum cleaners, hair
dryers, clothes dryers, a running tub, or a white noise CD.)

      **Side/ Stomach positioning (Placing the baby on the left side to help digestion or on the belly while holding him or her.)

      **Swaddling (Wrapping the baby up snugly in a blanket to help him or her feel more secure.)

      **Swinging gently (Rocking in a chair, using an infant swing, or taking a car ride to help duplicate the constant motion the baby felt
in the womb.)


If a baby in your care won't stop crying, you can also try the following:

      **Make sure that the baby's basic needs are met (hungry? wet? lonely? etc.);
      **Check for illness, fever, swollen gums;
      **Rock or walk with the baby;
      **Sing or talk to the baby;
      **Offer the baby a pacifier or a noisy toy;
      **Take the baby for a ride in the stroller or the car;
      **Hold the baby close against your body and breathe calmly and slowly, hum or sing ...
      **Call a friend or relative for support or to take care of the baby while you take a break;
      **If nothing else works, put the baby on his or her back in the crib, close the door, and check on the baby in 10 minutes;
      **Try a bath;
      **Just go outside, get some fresh air;
      **Call your child's doctor if nothing seems to be helping your infant, in case there is a medical reason for the fussiness.