Language is a complex cognitive function, characterized by a system of principles and rules that enable people to code their meaning in a symbol, and vice-versa. 1 It has both expressive and receptive components. 1 Under a natural course, oral language skills are developed first (pragmatic, phonological, morphosyntactic and semantic aspects), and then metalinguistic and written language skills are acquired. Arithmetic skills, in turn, are related to numerical properties and operations. 1 To develop arithmetic skills, three different systems are recruited, depending on the task: a nonverbal system (responsible for presenting the relationship between numbers); a verbal system (the numbers are expressed as a type of word); and a visual system (numbers can be decoded as Arabic numerals). 2 Development of the abovementioned cognitive skills is of utmost importance to the life of every human being within literate society. 3 For these skills to be adequately developed, children need to be integrated into various environments, and to acquire other levels of development. Recent reports have shown prevalences of alterations in written language and/or arithmetic performance of approximately 22% among Indian schoolchildren 4 and 54% among Brazilian schoolchildren. 5 Regarding the prevalence of specific learning disorders (dyslexia and/or dyscalculia), the same studies stated that the percentage was 3% in Brazil, 5 9% in Turkish-born children 6 and 7.5% in India 4. They also showed that high rates of comorbidities were present in children with

Violence against children is a significant problem, particularly during early childhood development. Spanking and other forms of corporal punishment in child-rearing have been used by families worldwide to correct children’s unwanted behaviors. Despite previous studies focusing on the negative consequences of these parental practices, open questions remain. The present study aimed to systematically review the empirical studies published in scientific literature that examined the associations between parenting practices of spanking and corporal punishment of mothers and their children’s behaviors and development in early childhood. Search was performed in PubMed, APA PsycNet, Web of Science, SciELO, and LILACS databases using the combination of the following keywords: ((spank OR physical punishment OR physical abuse OR physical maltreatment OR corporal punishment) AND (parenting)) AND (child* development OR child* behavior). The inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied and 34 articles were selected for review. The inclusion criteria were the following: studies that evaluated associations between maternal spanking or corporal punishment practices and behaviors or development of 0-to-6-year-old children; quantitative studies; studies published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese language. The results showed that in 94% of the studies, there were significant associations between maternal spanking and corporal punishment with deteriorated child behavior and development, concurrently or later. In addition, maternal physical practices also acted as mediators or moderator variables in models that explained behavioral and developmental problems in early childhood.