In the Policy Statement issued by the AAP, they in-
clude yelling at and shaming children in their list of
aversive disciplinary strategies along with corpo-
ral punishment. Yelling and shaming are also com-
mon strategies, with shaming techniques trending in
a world of viral videos and short bursts of fame. So,
what are the effective discipline strategies recom-
mended?
The AAP says that an effective discipline system
must contain 3 vital elements:
1) a learning environment characterized by positive,
supportive parent-child relationships;
2) a strategy for systemic teaching and strengthening
of desired behaviors (proactive);
3) a strategy for decreasing or eliminating undesired
or ineffective behaviors (reactive).
For infants, parental discipline looks like providing
a generally structured daily routine and responding
to the infant’s needs, and later to create safe spaces
for them to explore and play. For toddlers, it’s pro-
viding safety and communicating verbally (a firm no)
and removing the child from danger. The AAP warns
that parents should not expect reasoning, verbal com-
mands, or reprimands to manage the behavior of in-
fants and toddlers. This is based on the development
of a child’s brain and the immaturity of the prefrontal
cortex in the early years.
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