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VIDEO: Sandy Hook Promise helps pediatricians 'know the signs'

ORLANDO — Twenty children and six adults were killed in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012.   

At the AAP National Conference & Exhibition, Mark Barden, founder and managing director of the Sandy Hook Promise as well as the father to a child who lost his life in the Sandy Hook shooting, spoke with pediatricians about “knowing the signs” of future violent acts among children and adults. Barden and colleagues at the national nonprofit organization have trained more than 3.5 million students and adults in all 50 states.

“We train and teach people how to ‘know the signs,’ which means recognizing the warning signs of someone who is at risk of self-harm or harming someone else,” Barden told Infectious Diseases in Children.

He said that once these signs are recognized, pediatricians can use whichever intervention is necessary or appropriate to get that person connected with the help that they need before a tragedy occurs.

Disclosure: Barden reports no relevant financial disclosures.