WE’RE BACK TO THE WORKWEEK. PLEASANT CONDITIONS, UPPER 70’S LOWER 80’S TO START THE
WEEK.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: NOW, 16
MINUTES AFTER 8 O’CLOCK THIS
MORNING. AT LEAST ONE IN 7
CHILDREN HAS EXPERIENCE CHILD
ABUSE OR NEGLECT IN THE PAST
YEAR HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES. ACCORDING TO THE CDC,
1750 DIED AS A RESULT IN 2020
A RATE OF CHILD ABUSE AND
NEGLECT ARE 5 TIMES HIGHER FOR
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WITH LOW
SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS. AND
OFTEN TIMES THERE ARE WARNING
SIGNS WE WANT TO HELP YOU SPOT
THEM AS WE MARK CHILD ABUSE
PREVENTION MONTH. DOCTOR RANDY
ALEXANDER, PROFESSOR AND CHIEF
OF THE DIVISION OF CHILD
PROTECTION AND FORENSIC
PEDIATRICS WITH U.S. HEALTH
JOINS US NOW LIVE VIA ZOOM
THIS MORNING. GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH U.S..
STOCK. YOU KNOW, SO SADLY, AS
WE KNOW, ABUSE HAPPENS AT ANY
AGE. SO LET’S BREAK DOWN THE
WARNING SIGNS IF WE COULD
STARTING WITH SPECIFICALLY
CHILDREN WHO QUITE FRANKLY,
ARE JUST TOO YOUNG TO EXPLAIN
WHAT’S HAPPENING TO THEM
BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT YET
SPEAKING. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
INFANTS AND TODDLERS. WHAT ARE
THE MOST COMMON INJURIES THAT
YOU AND YOUR TEAM C?
>> YOU KNOW, THE MOST COMMON
THINGS WE SEE IS BY FAR ABOUT
2 THIRDS OF NEGLECT. BUT 2
THIRDS OF DEATHS ARE NEGLECTED
THOSE INJURIES WE WORRY ABOUT
IS THE UNSAFE SLEEP. YOU KNOW
WHERE SOMEBODY IS IN BED WITH
A SLEEPING WITH THE CHILD AND
THAT COULD BE A DISASTER OR
TODDLERS WHEN THEY CAN GET TO
SWIMMING POOLS DROWN ARE BIG
CONCERNS BUT WANTS PHYSICAL
ABUSE WHEN CHILD’S NOT CREWS
IN YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY’RE
HOLDING ON SOMETHING WALKING
AROUND. THEY SHOULDN’T HAVE
BRUISES. AND YES, ACCIDENTS
HAPPEN EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.
BUT THE MOST PART, THEY DON’T
HAVE A REASON. SO IF YOUR YOUR
RELATIVE OR SOMETHING AND
USAGE ALL THAT IT’S HAVING
BRUISES THAT SHOULD BE LOOKED
INTO. YOU KNOW WHAT EXACTLY IS
GOING IT’S DIFFERENT WHEN YOU
GET TODDLERS AND PRESCHOOLERS
AND EVERYTHING. THERE
EXPLORING THE WORLD, THEY’RE
BUMPING INTO THINGS. THEY GET
BUT THEY DON’T GET PATTERN AND
SO THAT WOULD BE A ANOTHER
WARNING SIGN. AND I KNOW THAT
AS AS A MEMBER OF CPT, YOU AND
YOUR TEAM EXAMINED THESE KIDS
WHEN THEY ARE ADMITTED TO THE
HOSPITAL.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: OFTEN, YOU
KNOW, DCF INTERVIEWS,
OBVIOUSLY THE PARENT OR
CAREGIVER INVOLVED. WHAT
REASONS TYPICALLY ARE GIVEN AS
TRIGGERS FOR ABUSE PER TO
PARTICULARLY AMONG INFANTS AND
AND AND AND YOUNG YOUNG
CHILDREN.
>> WELL, SO FOR THE KIDS THAT
ARE IT’S THE CRIME IS A BIG
FRUSTRATION THAT SO YOU SEE
THE SHAKEN BABY BUT WE MIGHT
SEE BROKEN BONES. PEOPLE THAT
CAN’T COPE WITH CRY. COURSE
YOU HAVE AN INFANT. THEY CRY.
THAT IS THEIR JOB. IT SEEMS.
SOME OF THE MARCH NEARLY GOOD
AT DOING THEIR SO THAT’S THE
TRIGGER THERE. WHEN WE LOOK AT
KIDS THAT ARE OLDER, A YEAR 2
YEARS OLD. THAT’S WE START
SEEING BURNS FORCE. CHILD HAS
ATWELL IN EXIT. SOMEBODY HAS A
MISUNDERSTANDING. WHAT NORMAL
DEVELOPMENT IS AND THEY THINK
THE KIDS SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO
THINGS THEY CAN’T DO THEY’RE
MAD THERE NEAR HOT WATER. THEY
IT’S TERRIBLE TO EVEN THINK
ABOUT IT.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: SO HOW DO
YOU PREVENT THIS? AND LET’S
LET’S FOCUS AGAIN ON THESE
INFANTS. IN THE END, THESE
YOUNG KIDS, AS YOU MENTIONED,
YOU KNOW, INFANT’S CRY. IS
THERE ANY HARM AND JUST
PUTTING THEM IN THEIR CRIB AND
LETTING THEM CRY? IF YOU’RE
FEELING LIKE YOU’RE
OVERWHELMED AND MIGHT DO
SOMETHING THAT YOU YOU
SHOULDN’T.
>> WELL, NOT AT ALL. AND I
MEAN, PUT HIM DOWN FOR 5
MINUTES. WALK AWAY. TAKE A
BREATHER. WHAT’S HAPPENING IN
YOUR BODY IS YOUR ADRENALINE
LEVELS GO DOWN BY HALF THE RE
90 SECONDS. SO WHAT YOU’RE
DOING IS YOU’RE GIVING
YOURSELF A TIMEOUT. AND WHEN
THE BABY IS STILL GOING TO BE
A BABY, WHETHER CRYING OR NOT,
BUT YOU AT LEAST CAN CONTROL
YOURSELF DON’T WALK AWAY
COMPLETELY. BUT, YOU KNOW,
TAKE A BREAK OR HAVE SOMEONE
ELSE COME IN. AND THAT’S
REALLY THAT. AND YOU TAKE A
BREAK.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND WHAT
ABOUT OLDER CHILDREN, CHILDREN
WHO ARE NOW IN SCHOOL? YOUR
MESSAGE TO TEACHERS AND OTHER
CAREGIVERS IN TERMS OF WARNING
SIGNS OF THAT CHILD MAY BE
ABUSED PHYSICALLY. WHEN THEY
GET OLDER, ONE OF THE THINGS
IS THAT SOMETIMES PEOPLE TALK
WHETHER IT’S IN LANES OR
SOMEONE ELSE, WHEN THE KIDS
GET A LITTLE OLDER, THEY CAN
START TO TALK ABOUT THESE AND
CRITICALLY WITH WITH YOUNG
KIDS, THEY HAVE A TENDENCY TO
TELL US WHERE OLDER KIDS MIGHT
THE SKIES SOME WAYS VARIOUS
IT’S NOT SUCH AN ISSUE WITH
YOUNGER KIDS BELIEVE THE KIDS.
LISTEN TO WHAT THEY’RE AND IF
THEY’RE SAYING THINGS THAT ARE
CONCERNING, LET’S ACT ON THAT
AND SEE IT TAKES US. IT’S NOT
ALWAYS GOING TO BE BUT WHAT IF
IT IS?
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: YEAH, THE
DIFFERENCE THAT YOU CAN MAKE
IN THAT CHILD’S LIFE. DOCTOR,
ALEXANDER, THANK YOU FOR YOUR
TIME THIS MORNING. WE
APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR
KNOWLEDGE IN THIS. GIVEN WHAT
YOU HAVE SEEN CERTAINLY IN IN
AS A DOCTOR. AND ALSO IT’S THE
CPT DIRECTOR. THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU. AND LET’S
PREVENT SOME CHILD ABUSE THIS
MONTH AND EVERYTHING. LOVE
THAT IDEA, WHICH IS WHY I WANT
TO PASS ALONG TO YOU. AN
IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBER. IF YOU
OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW, IS THE
VICTIM OF CHILD ABUSE, YOU CAN
CALL 800.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: 9, 6, ABUSE.
YOU CAN REMAIN ANONYMOUS. SO
IF YOUR NEIGHBOR DO NOT WORRY
ABOUT MAKING THIS CALL AND YOU