A few years ago, a teacher friend told me of his horror on hearing a primary head teacher shouting so loudly at a child that it resounded throughout the school. It was even more chilling for him to realise that the child was in Reception.
Not so long ago, this sort of thing would have been the norm in many early years settings, schools and family homes. These days, however, we tend to feel shocked and disturbed when we hear young children being yelled at or verbally intimidated.
That is not to say, though, that it is less common.
A recent study, ‘Childhood verbal abuse as a child maltreatment subtype’ (see Further reading) reports that emotional abuse has surpassed other forms of childhood maltreatment. Childhood verbal abuse (CVA) is a key component of emotional abuse: it is of growing concern. In the early years we are highly aware of the power of words and language, for better or worse. This review is significant to our work. We need to act on its findings with urgency.
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