Q1. What about young children who have experienced abuse, neglect, and or trauma?

<Catherine Corr>

We consider the first six years of a child’s life as critical to his/her growth and development. However, we don’t often recognize that this same period is also the most vulnerable period for young children. Young children are the most frequent victims of maltreatment. Child maltreatment falls into a number of categories: 
•	Physical abuse refers to a non-accidental physical injury (e.g., hitting, kicking, burning, etc.) by a parent or other caregiver in the parenting role. 
•	Neglect is the failure of the parent or caregiver to provide for the child’s basic needs—food, shelter, supervision, medical care, and emotional nurturing. 
•	Sexual abuse refers to not only forcing or coercing a child to engage in sexual activity but also to exploitation through pornography. 
•	Emotional abuse is usually a pattern of behavior that hurts a child’s emotional development (e.g., constant criticism, threats, withholding love, etc.).