On Nov.5, the American Academy of Pediatrics called for parents to end the use of spanking as a form of discipline. The organization, which represents more than 64,000 pediatricians, says that spanking is not only ineffective, but it also causes harm to children. One of the nation’s foremost experts on the issue, Catherine Taylor, associate professor at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, is available to discuss the risks of corporal punishment for normal child development and why she thinks the AAP’s action is a tipping point that will change public opinion in the U.S. about corporal punishment. Her research was heavily cited in the AAP’s policy statement.
Taylor can talk about what parents can do to effectively discipline other than spanking and the research that led to the AAP's call.
Taylor is the director of the Violence Prevention Institute at Tulane, and is considered a national expert in the area of child physical abuse prevention. She has been working in violence prevention research for two decades, has published extensively on the topic and has had her research funded by the NIH and the CDC.
RSS